The Stranger
by HTFan
Summary: After a crazed mad man captures 21 innocent people to be placed in a violent virtual world called 'Happy Tree Friends,' a mysterious stranger appears. After seeing death and destruction for days, the young man must use all of his skills to not only save himself from the hellish world, but to free all the Tree Friends from the hands of an evil god. Will he succeed, or die trying?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_**DISCLAIMER: The show 'Happy Tree Friends' is rightfully owned by Mondo Media, not me. This fan fiction is written for entertainment purposes only and is completely non-profit.**_

_**WARNING: This story contains scenes of graphic intense violence, frequent use strong adult language, suggestive adult themes, and mild sexual content. Read at your discretion.**_

* * *

"Shh, don't try to fight it. It's okay. Everything will be fine. Just relax and go to sleep."

An old man with a long white lab coat was standing over a metallic casket with many buttons and a small on-board computer on the side. Within the casket, a voice could be heard. The man inside was screaming in agony and pain, making a futile cry for help. He banged his hands against the casket and shook back and forth to escape. It was hopeless.

"Wow, you're really putting up a big fight here, not like all those other players, they just laid there and accepted their fate. But I guess I should expect that from you with your kind of background." The old man continued to stand by the casket, staring anxiously to see his machine work.

Suddenly, a large flash was emitted from the casket, which nearly lit up the entire room with a near-blinding light. It dim down shortly after, and the voice coming from inside the casket seized. It was finished.

A few seconds after the silence, the computer attached to the casket turned on, and began making a large list of numbers and letters, as if it were scanning the subject inside. The old man watched over the computer and examined every number that ran across the screen. Suddenly, the computer stopped producing the fast rate of numbers, and came up to a tab labeled _"Analysis_."

"Alright, let's see what kind of player you are." The old man said while using the computer to look up various information of the subject. On screen, the old man could view everything about the person, including any medical history, birth date, family history, and any other parts of private information. Anything about the person inside was all revealed to the old man on one screen. "Oh, a military man, huh? Pure history of a military family too, so it must be tradition. Served for at least 4 years in the Army, and even became a member of the Special Forces. Oh, good for you. You must have been proud to have gained such power to kill more. But what's this," the old man's eyes widen after reading into the subject's history further, "a mission gone bad? A three man mission to assassinate a target went south, and you were to blame? Ah, I see, you ended up killing all of your buddies and failed the mission. Must have been tragic, since you were later discharged for being labeled with PTSD." The old man began to access multiple tabs across the screen until he reached the section _"Settings." _"You must get mad from time to time, don't you? Well, maybe not too bad since you got treatment, but I'm sure it's still in your mind somewhere. So, why not reveal the true monster that lies inside you."

The old man went to a slider, which was labeled _"Mental Stability." _He grabbed the slider with the pointer, and pushed it across to the very end of the screen. A warning labeled opened up, but the old man closed it quickly. "You're going to be my favorite tool, young man." The old man began to smile. "But what about a name? What would suit your ever-changing attitude?" The man pondered the question for a short period of time, then came up with a name. "Well, I guess with your PTSD, you might get a little "flippy" at times, won't you?" The man laughed at his terrible pun, and in the name section of the screen, he typed in "Flippy."

After placing all of the final settings, the old man went to the confirmation screen and activated the machine. Another flash of light, though not as bright, was emitted again, and the metallic casket began to make little sounds of beeps. The old man stood back for a bit, staring at his new toy. He then turned around to marvel at a large pillar. The pillar stood at an incredibly tall height, with multiple wires and lights attached to it. As he looked around the room, he could see dozens of other metallic caskets that were similar to Flippy's. Each one had a large wire that ran across the floor and was attached to a big machine on the pillar.

The old man stood still with both his hands on his sides. "It's almost ready. All I need now is a server admin to control this new world. But who could be mad enough to do such a job?" The man put his finger to his chin as if he were actually thinking of an answer. He already knew who it was. "Well, might as well be me. It's my toy after all."

The man slowly walked by the machine and went upstairs. At the top of the room was an office that was labelled _"Administrator." _The old man went up to the door's security panel and typed in a short 4-pin code. The door slid open, and revealed a room with a window that looked down the room with the caskets. On the other side lied another metallic casket, this one looking bigger and more decorated than the others. The old man walked towards the casket, and stared at the beauty of his creation.

"I just can't wait to play!" The man said excitedly. With a few button presses on the console attached to the machine, the casket opened slowly, releasing a short breeze and fog after being closed for such a long period of time. The old man then slowly laid his body across the casket, and placed a weird helmet on his head, which had a wire attached at the top. He securely attached it to his head, making sure it was neatly placed. The man then closed the casket until he heard a "click," knowing that the casket was now sealed completely. As the lights inside the casket lit up, he looked upward to see a screen, which he stared at it for a long time while the screen made moving pictures. Suddenly, the lights inside the casket began to become brighter, and his head began to feel funny as the helmet on his head began to tighten and vibrate while making a funny sound. A loud flash was finally emitted, completely blinding the old man.

It would be a few minutes before the old man could open his eyes, which were completely dilated from the flash of light. As he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed that he was in an office similar to his own, laying on a small twin-sized bed. He was still wearing his usual scientific attire, the one he was wearing before entering the casket. He sat up slowly, feeling a little weak around the body. He got out of the bed and stood up, stretching his arms and legs until he could be mobile. He exited the bedroom, where he would enter a large circular room of pure white. Behind him lied the bedroom which he had just woken up from. Across from him, on the other side of the room, was a door that led to a long hallway and then at an elevator. To the left of him lied a large, solid glass double-door that had a key pad on the side. On the top of the same door was a sign labeled _"Server Office."_ Finally, to his right, there was a large window that gave a clear view outside. The man walked over to see what was outside. There was nothing but pure whiteness.

"Hmm, perhaps I should have created a world template from the outside before entering." The man said, stroking his short beard with his right hand. He shrugged. "No matter, I can just do it from here anyway."

The man did an about face and went to the door of the Server Office. With a few button clicks on the key pad, the double-doors slid open, and he walked into the room. Inside he could see computer screens scattered across the walls, and many technological machines working constantly across the room. To the far end lied a huge screen with a small cube computer laying at the bottom. The old man walked over to the computer desk and sat on the old, leather rolling chair before the desk, and sat forward to the computer. He pressed the power button on the side, and one word was visible on the screen: _Name._

"A name, huh?" The man leaned backwards on his chair, scratching his head slowly. "Well, I don't want humans or anything humanized, that's just plain boring and unoriginal. So, why not something a little cuter."

The man leaned forward again and typed quickly a new title for the newly created world. The title was _Happy Tree Friends._

"Oh how adorable. This is going to be exiting." The old man continued to type in more lines of code, detailing the structure of character details and environments. He was creating an entire new world from scratch. A virtual one.

After finally typing in his last line of code, he submitted the work, and was given a screen showing all of the subjects inside the game. In total, he was given twenty-one "players", with over thousands of unlabeled AI.

"Let's see, we got Flippy, Handy, Cuddles, Giggles, Flaky, Petunia, Pop, Cub, Toothy, Lumpy, Russell, Mole, Lammy, Splendid, Lifty, Shifty, Cro-Marmot, Mime, Sniffles, Disco Bear, Nutty, and a variety of other characters. And they are all ready to play! Let's get started."

After making sure every "player" was ready, the old man clicked "Start" and a bright light flashed across the world along with a loud banging sound. On screen, the old man could see his world suddenly appear from mid-air. Land was morphing across the ground, buildings were erected, clouds were formed; everything from A to Z was created. In detail, the world look like something of a cartoon, especially since a variety of houses were created out of trees. After only a few short minutes, an entire universe was created, with its own history and environment to make it unique.

The old man continued to view the screen, examining every detail of his world. From his perspective, he was in a giant tree that lied in the center of a city. His world was now alive and ready to be played with. Then, at the corner of his eye, he saw something moving. It was a red porcupine that was walking around the corner of a street, moving nervously around the sidewalk. Then another creature, a yellow rabbit, appeared from another corner of the street. In just a few short minutes, the entire area, which resembled a small city that contained multiple buildings and homes, was crawling with animals that walked and acted like human beings. The old man made an excited expression on his face. "Oh boy, look at them. They look so adorable!"

The man sat up straight on his chair, switching from a happy smile to a confused face. "Now, how should I start the first day of my game?" The man looked up, thinking of something marvelous. "Well, since it is definitely a big day, with me being a newly made god and this being my new creation, why not celebrate with a carnival." The man leaned forward again, and typed up a scenario on the screen. With just a few simple lines of code, a large flash was emitted, and, out of nowhere, a large carnival was erected in the park, and all of the people were there, having no idea that a change in scenery had occurred.

"Okay, to make this fun, let's place you here," the man said while dragging a green bear with the title "Flippy" over his name, "and let's place you here." The man now began to drag a yellow rabbit named "Cuddles" over to a carnival stand that provided a small game. The game was a dart throwing game, were you would be given a couple of darts and would try to pop balloons at the end, then receive a prize. Cuddles was the player, and Flippy was behind the stand, handing out the darts to players.

"Now, we wait and watch." The old man leaned back and stared at the big screen, which was hovering over the two innocent creatures without their consent. Cuddles was given a couple of darts by Flippy, and began to throw them at the balloons. His first two throws sadly missed, but his third throw hit the balloon directly in the center, making a loud pop. Cuddles jumped with joy, ready to receive his prize. But Flippy started to shake violently. His breathing became deeper, his eyes became emerald green in color, and his teeth turning into razor-sharp blades. Cuddles was too excited to notice that Flippy grabbed a handful of darts in his hand, and tightly gripped them in his fist. Cuddles turned around at the last second, seeing Flippy in a ready position to throw darts. But he did not throw the darts at the balloons; instead, he threw them at Cuddles. One of the darts struck Cuddles straight in the eye, puncturing the inside of his eye gushing out blood everywhere as he ran around screaming in agony. Flippy, smiling at his excellent accuracy on the first throw, then threw multiple darts at once, shooting straight through Cuddles' body and taking bits and pieces of his internal organs with them, all flying across the carnival before hitting a light blue otter on the other side, killing him as well. Flippy then jump out of the stand and made a loud and evil laugh. Everyone in the carnival began to panic and scream while Flippy killed every soul he could reach, and murder them in the most violent way imaginable.

The old man felled back from his chair, laughing on the floor and almost crying. "Holy shit, that was amazing! Really, all the guts that flew out of him, and now he is going to kill everyone else! Man, that's just too fucking hilarious." The old man then stopped laughing, wiping a small tear from his eye, and sat back in his chair. His faced then returned back into a serious look. "However, I do believe we can still do better. So, instead of doing this, let's try this."

The old man leaned forward again to type in a new scenario, completely making an entire new setting. With one click of a button, a loud sound was made, and a bright light shined across the world.


	2. Ch 1: The Stranger

**Chapter 1**

**The Stranger**

* * *

The morning sun was bright today, raining down light and heat across the land. Its immense heat was mixed with the cool spring air, giving a refreshing comfort to those enjoying the outdoors. Down below the sun was a large forest, filled with enormous trees that were scattered in large numbers, and leaves that blanketed the ground. In a clearing that lied in the center of the forest was a sleeping grey squirrel, relaxing in the spring sun. The squirrel, however, began to twitch and shake, as if it were to be having a bad dream.

_Who are you? How did you get inside my beautiful world?_

A voice was speaking inside the grey squirrel's head, who began to twitch back and forth more violently.

_You're a strange little fellow, aren't you? You coming into my world unexpectedly without being given a proper introduction. Well, I guess I can give you a name now, at least as a placeholder._

The grey squirrel began to make a quiet whisper, trying to speak to the voice in a futile attempt to communicate with it.

_Well, since you're strange, and you are a stranger by entering my world uninvited, I guess I'll just have to call you Stranger. Yeah, stick with that for a bit, it will work well over time. Whatever, I'll let you go and play now._

The voice now left the Stranger's head, leaving an empty silence behind. After shaking for so long, the Stranger began to open his eyes, exposing them to the bright star that was above him. He cringed back, placing his hands above his eyes to avoid getting any sunlight to impact his vision. He slowly pushed himself upward to sit straight, stretching his legs across the ground. As he slowly opened his eyes, he looked around him, observing his environment. He began to make a confused expression on his face, and started asking questions in his head.

_Where am I? How did I get here? And….._

The Stranger's eyes open widely instantly as he looked down as his body, noticing his grey fur that covered his body and the long, bushy tail that laid beside him. He began to tug on his body, as if he were to take it off like a piece of clothing.

_And what in the actual fuck am I wearing?! Some furry suit?_

The Stranger began rolling back and forth, tugging his body across multiple areas to find a way to remove his "suit."

_How the hell do you get this damn thing off?!_

After a few short seconds of fighting himself, the Stranger stood up and laid his hands on his sides.

_Forget it, I got better things to do anyway besides playing with myself all day._

The Stranger looked around the forest, wondering which direction would lead him the way out. He walked around the forest with small steps, listening for voices or anything that could lead him to civilization. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of cars driving across asphalt. He was near a road.

_Good, maybe someone will let me hitch a ride._

The Stranger ran in the direction where the sounds were emitting from. After about a minute of jogging across leaves and sticks, he made it to the edge of a long road. He looked up and down the road, noticing that there were no stops in close proximity. He then noticed a vehicle coming from his right moving at a decent pace across the road. The Stranger began to wave his arms and hands in the air to grab the attention of the driver.

"HEY! Over here! Can you-"

The car drove straight by the Stranger without making any attempt to brake. The Stranger watched the car continue to drive without stopping, and inappropriately shown his middle finger on his right hand.

"Yeah, up yours too, asshole!" The Stranger yelled furiously. He placed his hands back to his sides once more and looked downward in the direction of the road the car was driving on.

_Well wherever that guy was heading, there must be a town nearby._

The Stranger let out a big sigh, and began to walk at a decent pace down the road. As he walked, he looked up at the sky to notice the hot sun that was burning his body with heat, and a couple of slightly grey clouds that were forming in the air.

_I swear to God if it rains, shit is going to hit the fan_

* * *

The Stranger trekked for a couple of hours on the road, having the hot sun burning on his back and constantly seeing cars drive by him without stopping, which only infuriated him even more. He began to make an expression of discomfort, stopping to feel the bottom of his feet.

_Damn, when am I going to see some kind of indication of a town around here? My feet are killing me._

After he rubbed his feet for a short few seconds, he looked up to notice a sign. A large sign. A billboard that was a welcoming notice to tourists. The Stranger smiled, knowing that a town was almost in his grasp. He jogged up to the sign to see what city, state, or whatever kind of location he was entering. His expression would turn from a joyful smile to an open jaw of confusion. He examined the sign with great detail, looking at every bit of décor that was painted upon it. What shock him most was the introductory title, giving off the name of the city.

_Welcome to Happy Tree Town, Home of the Happy Tree Friends! Enjoy your Stay!_

The Stranger continue to stare in awe at the sign, noticing the people that were represented on the billboard. Instead of seeing happy human faces like those you would have seen in the 50's, he only saw cute, colorful animals that were doing activities that human beings performed every day.

_This is a joke, right? This is obviously a joke. A bad joke. A stupid ass joke to freak me out, right?_

The Stranger began to chuckle with a hint of insanity. His breathing picked up, then calmed down shortly after. He made a few relaxation breathes, clearing his mind of the sign he had just read.

_It's okay man, take it easy. I'm sure when we get to the town, I will see normal people with normal faces and normal suits, and they be very much delighted to help me get out of this very itchy suit._

The Stranger itched himself a bit, with all the fur getting tangled up everywhere. He began his walk once more for only a couple dozen minutes before reaching a hill that covered his view of the upcoming city. Across that hill lied his destination, and it would certainly meet his expectations. He climbed up the steep hill slowly, having multiple thoughts in his head of what to ask the people how they could help him, and explain to them why he was wearing a squirrel "suit." But when he got to the top of the hill, he could only drop to his knees and watch in horror what he was seeing. He traveled for hours across a rocky road in the hot sun to reach this very spot, and he could only think of one explanation of what he was actually seeing.

_I am high as shit right now, aren't I?_

In his vision, he saw what appeared to be a normal city. Except it wasn't just filled with brick buildings or normal housing. Instead, he saw houses made completely out of trees, a huge tree that lied in the center of the town, and the inhabitants of the town that walked across the streets normally. But it was not real people he saw walking. It was those cute animals that looked just like those on the billboard, doing everything that he saw on the sign. They were conversing with each other, walking across the sidewalk, entering stores to buy objects, driving vehicles, and everything else. It was pure madness to the Stranger.

_How the hell did I get myself into this kind of shit?_

The Stranger let out a big sigh of sorrow, and stood back up slowly. He looked downward with a sad and confused look on his face, wondering exactly what his next move should be. He notice shortly across from him was a sidewalk that was filled with multiple colorful characters. Even if these people were all dressed in weird suits, they could at least be nice enough to help a tourist. The Stranger made his way down to the sidewalk, looking both ways across the road to avoid being run over, and walked between the crowds. The people did not seem to notice the Stranger, and did not seem to care at all. The Stranger walked between them for a short time before standing near a fire hydrant that was on a corner of an intersection. He stood still by the red fire hydrant, and observed the city with awe. It had the appearance of an actual city, except that many of the residential homes were made out of actual trees, and all the people were dressed as animals. He stood there thinking exactly what kind of place this is, and still questioned the fact of how he got to this area in the first place.

His thoughts would soon be interrupted as a yellow rabbit riding a skateboard would crash into him, knocking both of them down on the pavement. The Stranger bumped his head on the ground, bruising it slightly. He picked himself up, rubbing his the right side of his head due to the sore pain he just endured.

"Hey pal, watch were you're going!" The Stranger said angrily as he continued to rub his head. He looked over to see that the person that knocked him over was another person dressed as an animal. The Stranger stopped rubbing his head and questioned the rabbit. "Again, really? Are all of you people dressed as animals?"

The rabbit laid there for a bit, and reached his hands out to the Stranger. The Stranger gave a look of disgust, and picked up the yellow rabbit until he was back on his feet. The Stranger then put both his hands on his hips and stared at the rabbit.

"Look, buddy, I don't know what's going on, but I am not from here. Can you help me out?" The Stranger asked the yellow rabbit, with which the rabbit replied with a nod. The Stranger took a deep breath and spoke fast. "Okay, let's see. Well, I have no idea where I am, so that's an important question I need an answer to. I need a way to get back home, so I would like a direction to the nearest bus station. And can you tell me why all of you guys are dressed like animals. Is there some kind of furry convention or something? I mean, if you people are into this kind of thing during your private hours, I won't judge, I just like to know why all of you look like this." The Stranger, after talking insanely fast asking multiple questions, began to tug at his body once more. "Oh, and can you find the zipper or something on this suit for me? Someone must have stuffed me into this and I kind of want to get out of it."

The Stranger stopped messing with his body and looked at the rabbit for a response. The rabbit had a confused face, and began to speak to the Stranger. But the words weren't in plain English, but came out as some form of gibberish, like from a children's cartoon. After the rabbit stopped speaking, the Stranger stared at the yellow hare for a while with a confused look, wondering why this person would talk in such a way. He then made a small chuckle. "Oh, I see, you're playing your role. Ah, that's kind of cute." The Stranger then instantly switched back to a seriously expression, more so than before. "But seriously man, can you get me at of this stupid thing or what?"

The yellow rabbit once again responded only with the same gibberish line that he used before. This angered the Stranger only more. He took a step forward to the rabbit, making a more annoyed look on his face. "Dude, cut the crap already. I really need help here, and you're god-awful joke is starting to piss me off. Will you help me or not?" The Stranger began to make a fist in his right hand, forming a tight grip.

The yellow rabbit began to show signs of fear, taking a step back and started to shiver. To calm down the Stranger, he talked once more in the gibberish language, hoping what he was saying would be understandable to the Stranger. It wasn't. The Stranger, now infuriated to levels beyond the boundaries of sanity, grabbed the rabbit by the neck with his left hand and dragged him to his face. "Listen here you little yellow asshole, I have been going through a lot of shit today, and I am getting fucking sick of it. I will ask you one more time, and I better get a damn answer this time. Will. You. Help. Me?"

The rabbit stared into the angry eyes of the Stranger, beginning to whimper in fear. The rabbit was trying to answer the Stranger's question, and he did. So why was this outsider attacking an innocent person. The rabbit could do only one thing in this situation, and it was to try and give the Stranger an answer. The rabbit's answer to the Stranger's demands was more gibberish words.

"THAT IS IT!" The Stranger dropped the rabbit on his feet, and threw his right fist straight into the face of the yellow rabbit. The yellow rabbit's face was completely destroyed, having his pink heart nose broken and his entire face bruised and beginning to bleed. The yellow rabbit walked backwards slowly, dazed by the strong hit from the Stranger. The Stranger stared at the yellow rabbit with anger, believing that he got what he deserved. But then he looked down on the ground, and noticed that the yellow rabbit was going to trip on his skateboard. The Stranger reached his hands out to grab the rabbit, but it was too late. The rabbit's right foot stood on the middle on the skateboard, and, being unsteady from the recent blow to the face, slipped off from the board, and began to fall backwards. Naturally, the rabbit would fall on his head and receive minor bruising, maybe some head injuries if it were severe. Well, the damage was indeed severe, as his head landed straight onto the fire hydrant the two were standing by, and exploded like a smashed tomato.

The rabbit's head split open, spewing out a large amount of blood and pieces of brain matter that scattered across the sidewalk. As his head exploded, large sums of the blood soaked the Stranger's grey fur, nearly covering his entire central body. Along with the blood came a piece of his brain that landed on the left cheek of the Stranger, and was stuck there to his face. The Stranger, now beginning to enter a state of insanity, quickly wiped the piece of the rabbit's brain from his face, and began to hyperventilate over the recent scene. The Stranger then looked up to see a pink chipmunk with a red bow on her head, who was crossing the intersection on foot, screaming in horror over the site of the large amount of blood and the dead body of a yellow rabbit.

The Stranger raised his hands in the air as if he were surrendering or being held up. "It was an accident, I swear! I did not mean to kill him, I just hit him, that's all!" The Stranger yelled, scared beyond belief, which was evident in his voice. The chipmunk examined the Stranger in fear as he saw him with all of the rabbit's blood on his body. The two then quickly looked down a street to see an incoming van that was driving out of control. The Stranger noticed that one of the wheels popped off, and was swerving back and forth. Seeing that the van was heading in their direction with no intention to stop, the Stranger jumped backwards away from the sidewalk, and looked up to see the pink chipmunk scream at the incoming vehicle. Shortly after her scream, the van struck her at full force, ripping her body completely off and dragging bits and pieces of it along with the van, painting the road crimson red with blood. The van suddenly crashed at a tree head on, causing a massive wreckage and totaling the vehicle. The Stranger noticed the van was beginning to catch fire fast, and began to run towards the burning vehicle to help whoever was inside. The Stranger stopped in his tracks when he noticed two green raccoons, one with a hat and one without, exit the van, with their faces all bruised and bloody from the crash. The two raccoons met at the back of the fan, standing together confused at what just happened.

The fire on the van began to pick up, and was heading straight for the gas tank underneath. The Stranger would not make it time to drag them out, so he put both his hands around his mouth and yelled at the top of his lungs, "GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!" The raccoons looked up at the Stranger, who stared at them with a frightened look. The two slowly turned around and finally realized that the van was on fire, and took a step back. It was the only step they would be able to take, as the van exploded violently, sending a massive force that ripped the bodies of the two raccoons apart, sending their destroyed organs and blood across the street. The Stranger covered his face as the explosion occurred, and slowly looked back to see the van was now completely destroyed. The Stranger wondered where their bodies went off too, seeing how their organs how flown everywhere. He wouldn't have to look long, as the head of the raccoon with the hat landed right at the feet of the Stranger, staring at him with cold, dead eyes, and blood pouring out from the bottom of his neck, along with bits and pieces of the organs that tied his head to his body.

"Holy shit!" The Stranger jumped back quickly, and tripped backwards on his feet and landed on his posterior. He looked around to notice the carnage that had just occurred. A yellow rabbit's head was split open in two, gushing out blood and sending brain matter everywhere. A pink chipmunk was ran over by a van, dragging her body and organs across the road. And two raccoons were brutally ripped apart from the explosion of a destroyed vehicle. Four innocent lives were killed, and it wasn't even a minute's time.

The Stranger jumped to his feet, quickly walking backwards.

_I have to get out of here!_

As he began to walk backwards, he could here other civilians screaming in terror, and seeing explosions in the distance. The Stranger knew that just nearby, other people were violently dying as well. And it all started by punching a rabbit in the face.

* * *

The Stranger now began to make a dash in the opposite direction of the city, trying to block out the sound of destruction and screaming by holding his ears with his blood-stained hands. He ran for a couple of minutes before ending up in a park, completely devoid of life. The Stranger felled to his knees, and began to shake in terror over the sight that had just occurred in front of his very eyes.

"Oh dear God, what have I done?"

_Wow, I must say, that was very good for a first timer._

The Stranger quickly brought his head up and looked around sharply. "Who said that? Who's there?"

_Oh, no one important, just someone admiring your progress._

The Stranger stood up in confusion. "Progress? In what?"

_Why, in this great game I have made. Isn't it fun?_

"Game? What kind of game are you thinking of?"

_Look at that sweet destruction you just caused. Punching that rabbit and then having his head split open by the fire hydrant was marvelous. I would have gone with a push instead of a punch, since that way you could have made that poor rabbit ride the skateboard down the road and hit straight into the van. But your move was good too._

The Stranger stood in shock of what he was hearing. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! You think that was fun? All of that murder that just happen was amusing to you? You're a sick fuck!"

_Well, we all got our own ways of getting ourselves the joy of happiness. My joy is coming from your insanity. Seeing you flip out over the sight of death and destruction that you caused was priceless. I have not seen such terror in a person's eyes and caused such destruction in over ten years._

The Stranger began to walk away with his hands across his body, hugging himself to calm down. "Get away from me, you sick monster. I don't want to listen to any more of your shit!"

_Ah, but the game has only just started. You'll be playing again. And I'll be here to enjoy watching it._

The Stranger looked around to find somewhere to hide within the park. Looking around quickly, he found a large hollowed-out log laying on the outskirts of the park. He ran over quickly to the dead log, and examined the size of it. It was big enough to hide his body from the outside. The Stranger dropped to his knees and crawled inside, pushing around leaves, dirt and twigs that were in the way. After a short time adjusting the room, he went into a fetal position, hugging himself and shaking violently. He began to whimper and started shedding a few tears.

As he laid helplessly in the log, he muttered the same sentence over and over again.

_Please be a dream. I just want to go home._


	3. Ch 2: Reality

**Chapter 2**

**Reality**

* * *

Darkness. Nothing but pitch black darkness was shown in an endless world of existence. In every direction, there was nothing but the pure color of black. It was cold, silent, and horrifying.

"Hello?" The Stranger quietly cried, walking cautiously to make sure he would not fall through any invisible holes. "Is anyone here?" He looked back and forth, searching for anyone that could help him find his way back home.

The Stranger then began to hear a cry. A cry of pain. He was startled by the sound, shaking at the thought of what this person was crying about. "Where are you?" Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared to his far left, and the Stranger saw someone on their knees, crying softly. The Stranger slowly walked over, trying to get a good observation of who the person was. As he got closer, he could make out a color: pink. He got closer, and realized that he had seen this person before. The red bow, the pink fur, it was the female chipmunk from the day before, who had died from being ran over by a van. The Stranger noticed that her cries of pain began to rise in volume. He felt sad for the poor lady.

"What's wrong," the Stranger asked, tilting his head to the left in a confused look, "did something bad happen? Is there anything I can do to help?"

The Stranger was nearly right behind her back, hearing her cries more clearly. She did not seem to bother looking behind her to notice the Stranger, who was trying to help her. This confused the Stranger, but then he saw something. Something that put him in a state of horror, stopping him from moving any closer to the pink chipmunk.

Her tears were made of blood. Beneath her was a crimson puddle that was filled with the blood that ran from her eyes. She was still laying on her knees, crying louder and releasing more blood from her face. The Stranger began to shiver in fear, not wanting to see the pain and agony on the chipmunk's face. But he got closer still, and slowly placed his hands on her shoulder.

"Ma'am, is there something-"

The Stranger instantly stopped speaking, as he moved her body to see her face. What he saw was pure terror. Her entire face was cut off, her eyes were ripped from their sockets, and her throat was slit open, gushing blood below it. The dead chipmunk then released a loud scream, scaring the Stranger and making him jump back from the body. The body felled over onto the crimson puddle, and the Stranger stared in shock.

"Holy shit! What's going on? Where the hell am I?!"

The Stranger felt something wet under his feet. He looked down below him, and noticed that he was standing on an ocean of blood. He looked around sharply and noticed that the entire ground was beginning to turn bright red, and the sky began to create dark clouds mixed in the dark red atmosphere. The Stranger was stuck, too scared to move or run as he watched his entire world turn from darkness to pure death. The Stranger then felt something on the back of his neck. It felt like hot air emitting from someone's breath.

He turned around with horror on his face, and saw where the air was coming from. It was him. Another grey squirrel that looked just like him. But instead of the same face of horror he had, this Stranger had a face of evil, having blood across his face and a smirk that scared the Stranger almost to death. Death would almost be upon the Stranger, though, as his doppelganger grabbed him by the throat, and held a bloody knife to his neck.

"Please no! I'm sorry! Don't kill me, I don't want to die! I want to go-!"

This would be the Stranger's last words, as the monster that held him slit his throat open, killing the Stranger and drowning him in his own blood.

* * *

"NO!" The Stranger quickly jumped up from his nest under the log, waking up from a terrible nightmare. He held his hand to his throat, making sure there was nothing wrong. He then felt his heartbeat, which was going at a fast pace. He took multiple deep breaths as he looked around his environment, noticing he was still in the log he hid in from yesterday. He was still in the squirrel suit from yesterday, and was still in the same area again. It was no dream.

The Stranger's breaths began to slow down after he realized he was alive and well. He laid down inside the log, still thinking of yesterday's misfortunes. He blamed himself for the deaths of everyone. If he had not punched that man in the yellow rabbit suit, maybe everyone else would have lived. He regretted his actions completely, and did not want to show his face back to society.

His stomach now began to growl violently. The Stranger placed his hands over his stomach as his hunger was killing him. He had not eaten for an entire day, and killing a random person and running from death really made him hungry. He did not want to leave his log, but he had to eat. He had no choice but to go back and look for something to eat.

The Stranger slowly crawled out of his log and into the morning sunlight, which warmed his body completely. He stood up on his two feet, and looked around where he was, remembering that he was in the park nearby Happy Tree Town. He then looked down at his body, and noticed his fur was completely stained with dry blood from yesterday. There was no way he was going to show his face with all the blood that laid across his body. He searched the area, looking for a place to get clean. The Stranger saw a crystal clear lake, which he could see the bottom of it due to its amazing level of purity. He ran over to the lake, and noticed a sign stating that no one should enter the lake. It was the rules.

The Stranger quickly jumped into the pure lake, and splashed water across his entire body, getting every bit of dry blood off his fur and into the perfectly clear lake. After a couple of minutes of scrubbing his body, the Stranger walked out of the lake, shaking his body to help dry off. Surprisingly, the water felt real close to him, which confused him since he was obviously wearing a suit. He looked back at the lake and noticed it was now completely dark red, and stained with dirt and blood. The Stranger cringed back a little, and slowly walked away.

"I'm sure someone will come around to clean it up."

The Stranger's stomach began to growl louder, causing him to wrap his hands around his body. He was going to starve to death if he did not eat soon. There was no time to find another city, nor did he know how to hunt any animals. So he had no choice to walk to the same town he left, believing that there should be some kind of restaurant. The Stranger came across the same hill he had first cross when entering the town. He stopped before climbing over. His mind was filled with terrible thoughts, getting visions of what lied over the hill. Would he see a crime scene with those white chalk lines referencing dead bodies? Would he see the "cleaners" removing the mess? The Stranger could only think of something disastrous taking place right now.

_Be strong, man. It was an accident. You did nothing wrong, it was just unintentional. Just act cool and maybe you can just walk away from this._

The Stranger took a deep breath, exhaled, and walked over the hill to see the scene. But he did not see police or chalk lines or cleaners or anything. Instead, he saw the same routine as yesterday. The Stranger stood completely confused as everyone (who were still dressed as animals) were walking about like nothing ever happened. They were still doing their everyday tasks, and did not seem to care about the recent deaths of four innocent people.

_These guys are all cold-hearted bastards. People die and they don't give two-shits about it. Damn….._

The Stranger was shocked at how anyone could just ignore yesterday's events and not even mourn the deaths of four people. The Stranger had to shake off the thought as his stomach made another growl of pain. He searched across from atop the hill and looked for any kind of place that may serve food of any kind. After a quick observation, he noticed a small restaurant.

_Petunia's Café_

"That sounds good." The Stranger said, licking his mouth and thinking what good food they might serve. He then tugged at his body, trying to once again take it off. "I just wish I could just eat without having to wear this crap." He stopped messing with his body, took a relaxation breath, and walked down the hill towards the sidewalk adjacent of the café. He made sure to look both ways before crossing the road and made it to the other side. He stood at the front glass door of the café, fiddling with his fingers.

_Okay, maybe they might take an IOU or make an arrangement for a poor guy like me. Or I could eat and ditch like a cheap asshole. Oh forget it, I just need some food now!_

The Stranger entered the café and looked around the building. He noticed that the place was packed with people, who all seemed to eat in their suits.

_Seriously, how do they do it? Better yet, why?_

The Stranger did not care as he looked over to the counter to notice an empty stool next to a man looking like an orange beaver wearing a construction hat. And with no hands, for some odd reason. The Stranger walked over and took a seat on the stool, and looked over at the construction worker. He seemed to be blushing at the sight of the cook, who was a lady dressed as a blue skunk wearing a flower on her head and an air freshener as a necklace.

_Wow, that's refreshing. My perfectly good food is being cooked by a skunk. Yeah, that's just peachy._

The Stranger then tap the orange beaver's shoulder, getting his attention. "Hey buddy, if you're going to wear a suit, why not one with hands so you can eat?" The beaver gave an annoyed and mean look, and walked off pouting. "Is it something I said?"

The Stranger heard someone clearing their throat, and looked over to see the skunk, now holding a notepad in one hand and a pen in another. She gestured to him with the notepad, signaling the Stranger to make an order.

The Stranger quickly grabbed the menu and brought it up. "Oh sorry. Okay, let's see… I will have the…." The Stranger stopped speaking as something caught the attention of his left eye. He heard a giggle and language of the same gibberish from yesterday. It sounded very familiar. He looked over at the corner of the café and noticed someone. Someone he knew. Someone he saw very recently. And it confused and angered the Stranger greatly.

In the back corner of the café, sitting at a booth next to the window, were two people. One was a pink chipmunk wearing a red bow. Another was a yellow rabbit. The two people he saw yesterday, who had died right in front of his eyes and sent him into a mental state of terror, were alive and well, and were laughing happily.

_How? Why?_ The Stranger kept repeating the same two questions over and over, getting more infuriated when asking it the next time. _HOW! WHY!_ The Stranger wanted to feel great that the two were alive. But how could he feel good when the deaths they endured were not survivable. Their deaths were some of the worst he had ever seen, and no one could ever survive it. And there they are, being completely healthy and free of wounds, laughing like nothing ever happened yesterday. The Stranger could not feel sympathy. He could only feel his rage.

The Stranger slammed the menu down on the counter, shaking it and causing a small vibration across it. He jumped off the stool quickly, and slowly walked around the café, pushing anyone that was in his way. After a short walk, he made it right behind the back of the yellow rabbit, enjoying his conversation with the pink chipmunk. The Stranger grabbed the back of the yellow rabbit's head, and smashed it twice onto the table he sat behind, causing major damage to his face and causing facial bleeding. He then threw the rabbit onto the floor, and put his mouth right next to his large ears.

"You think this is a FUCKING JOKE?! DO YOU?!" The Stranger yelled violently into the rabbit's ears, grabbing the attention of everyone in the café, at least those who were not affected from the sounds of a rabbit being hit against a table. The Stranger stood up straight, his face being red with rage. "You think that was funny what you did yesterday? You think faking your death in front of a newcomer is fucking hilarious, you sick bastard?" The Stranger began to walk back and forth around the yellow rabbit, who only just lied his face on the ground whimpering in fear. "I MOURNED YOU! I was scared because I saw you die because of me. Your head exploded and blood got on me. I thought you died! And here you are, just laughing the day away!" He then sharply looked over and pointed his finger at the pink chipmunk, who was already shaken up by the situation. "And you! I saw you die too, and it was just as awful! I saw your body drag across the road, painting it with your blood! And here you are now, laughing with him! Are you with this sick bastard, you pink bitch?!"

The pink chipmunk could only sit and stare at the Stranger, unable to answer his questions that made no sense to her. The Stranger flew his arms in the air, and looked to the crowd that was watching the fight take place. "You all remember this, right? Seeing these two die, and all the destruction that happen afterwards, right? You are all with me here on this, right?"

To the dismay of the Stranger, every person in the building could only reply with a shake of their head. The Stranger stood still, observing that every person was shaking their heads. "You're all telling me that NONE of you remember the shit that took place yesterday? NONE of you?!" They all shook their heads again.

The Stranger began to tighten his fist, and his face began to show more anger. "I can't fucking believe this bullshit! Why are all of you supporting this bastard with your lies?!" He began to point at the yellow bunny, who was still crying in pain. "Is this really how you all treat outsiders, by scaring them with your fake deaths and then laughing your asses off about it? What the hell is wrong with you all?! You are all fucking monsters!" The Stranger then violently grabbed at his body, pulling his fur and skin in every direction. "And why the fuck do you all wear this shit! It's day two you are all still wearing this, and you all decide to eat while wearing this?! You're freaks, all of you!"

The Stranger began to breathe furiously with his anger and adrenaline kicking in at levels that normally should not be reached. His rage and paranoia was blocking his common sense of reason. As he stood staring at every individual in the building, the pink chipmunk tried to slowly exit her side of the booth and make an attempt to exit the building. Her seat, however, made a tiny squeak after getting up, which quickly alerted the Stranger. The Stranger stared at the pink chipmunk who was now beginning to cry in fear. "If you're going to be such assholes and play this kind of shit with me, why don't you show your faces to me and look at me straight in the eye. Go on, take the suit off!"

The Stranger was pointing at the pink chipmunk, giving her a direct order to take off her suit. She cried and only shook her head, knowing she was unable to take any kind of suit off. This angered the Stranger greatly, which made him bring his face straight to hers. "FINE! You don't want to take that suit off," the Stranger looked over at the table they were sitting behind, and noticed a sharp metal knife that reflected the sunlight from outside. He grabbed the black handle, and tightly gripped the knife in his hands, "then I'll do it for you."

The Stranger grabbed the pink chipmunk by her bow, and brought the knife to her neck. She was screaming and crying, shaking her arms and speaking in a fast, gibberish language. The Stranger brought the knife real close, ready to see the person underneath the suit. He slung the knife around her neck, and awaited for the reveal.

Initially, the Stranger believed the woman was wearing a large pink chipmunk suit. With a small slice around the top, he would be able to open a hole which he can wrap his hand in, and rip the rest of the head of the suit off, revealing the person inside. That was the plan.

Instead, he was greeted with a flash of blood that spurted straight out of the pink chipmunk's throat, cutting the jugular vein splashed blood all over the Stranger's face, the knife, the floor, the table, the window, everything. Her blood was covering everything in the near proximity of the Stranger and the café. Everyone in the building screamed at the top of their lungs, and ran to the corners of the café to hide at the sight of the murder.

The Stranger, now completely covered in blood, dropped the pink chipmunk's body onto the floor, and watched her body twitch as blood slowly ran from her neck. He shook violently as he saw the dead body lie in a puddle of blood, and began to hyperventilate. He slowly brought the knife to his face, and looked into the metallic reflection of the blood-stained blade. What he saw was the monster from his dreams this very morning, except now it was really him. The Stranger dropped the blade quickly, and fell to his hands and knees, gagging ferociously before vomiting across the floor over the sight of murder he had just caused.

_OH DEAR GOD, what have I done?! What's happening to me, what is this place doing to me?!_

Seeing that the Stranger was now unarmed, everyone who was alive ran straight for the front door, screaming loudly in panic from seeing some outsider come into a building and kill an innocent person. It was his second day in town, and he had killed another person, this time on purpose.

The Stranger laid on his hands and knees, crying over the dead body. "WHY? Why am I doing this? What's wrong with me?!" He whispered to himself and cried for multiple minutes. His thoughts would have to stop as he heard the sound of a police siren go off. The Stranger quickly looked up to see a blue moose in a police uniform, wielding an electric Taser in his hands and coming straight towards the door of the café. The Stranger had to act fast, and made a quick dash to the kitchen. Entering the kitchen, he found the emergency back entrance, and quickly made his exit, activating the fire alarm and alerting his position. He found himself in the alley behind the café, and continue to make a run into the middle of the city. As he ran, he could hear the police officer yelling at him, and could tell he was catching up. The Stranger kept sprinting until he reached an alley far from the café. He looked around to find a place to hide and noticed an old dumpster. Without second thought, he opened the lid and jumped inside, closing the door behind him.

The Stranger sat still, listening for the blue moose acting as the police officer walking nearby. The Stranger held his breath, hoping the man would not find him. After a few short minutes, silence was all the Stranger could hear. The Stranger had successfully escaped.

But was it worth it? Was there any point in running? He killed another innocent person, this time on purpose. But how could he know when he believed that they were people in suits. They had to be people in suits. If this was the real world, then that is how it should have worked, right?

The Stranger sat in the middle of the trash, getting his fur all dirty as the blood got stuck to the bits and pieces of garbage. He began to sob as he continue to question what went wrong, with both the situation and himself. What was going on with everything?

_Another great kill! Really enjoyed the fear you put into the lady's heart before slitting her throat open. Good thing you listen to my message before doing it._

The Stranger opened his eyes widely, hearing the same voice from yesterday. The same voice that mocked him and accused him as a murderer, and enjoyed it!

"But I did not mean to kill her! It was an accident!"

_No no no no, Stranger. An accident would be having no intention to harm her in any way. You planned to harm her in the first place, thus is pure murder. But I won't judge, since it was a good kill anyway._

"I swear, I really did not have no intention to kill her! I just wanted her to get out of that damn suit so I could-"

_Wow. You've been here two days already and still have not accepted the truth yet?_

The Stranger laid confused. "What do you mean 'accepted the truth' yet? That is the only explanation."

_Okay Stranger, tell me, exactly what makes you think that this is your home still?_

"What the fuck are you talking about? This is my home, it's not like I-"

_Just give me your reasons, Stranger. I want you to amuse me._

The Stranger's breathing began to pick up pace. "Well, they must be in suits, right? Because animals don't-"

_Stranger..._

"Okay, um? Well, the houses made of trees, maybe that is just their way of-"

_Come on Stranger, don't do this._

"W-w-well, what... what about the death and being alive thing? That was just a dumb-"

_Stranger, just-_

"And you! You're just a mad voice in my head who is only mocking me because-"

_STRANGER! For God's sake man, accept it!_

The Stranger went silent for a short time before speaking. "Accept what?"

_It really saddens me why I must explain the obvious to you. Stranger, you're not home anymore._

The Stranger did not want to believe what the voice was telling him. "How... How can this not be my home?"

_Really? Animals that behave like humans, living in houses made of trees, dying and coming back to life with no recollection of the past, a voice in your head?! And what about you? What about your body? You could not find a way to take it off. You could even feel your own heartbeat! This is not your reality anymore Stranger._

"Then what the fuck is it, huh?! What the hell is wrong with everything?!"

_This is not your reality. But it is another, one that I made._

The Stranger could only stay confused as sadness began to build up in his emotions. "How? That can't be possible. You're not real, none of this can be!"

_Oh Stranger, I am most certainly real, and this world you see is all designed by me. Everything you see, from the way it is shaped to the way life works, was all designed by me. Trust me Stranger, I am real, and this world is real._

The Stranger began to shed a few tears. He did not want to accept this. "Why... Why would you design a world like this... What kind of world is it if everyone in it must die forever and never live in the real world_?_

_Well, we all have our own set of skills that we use to satisfy are desires. My desire was to create a world which I control and get to mess with its inhabitants. You know, play God in my own fashion. And why do it with boring human characters when I can do it with cute cartoon animals! You'll be amazed the unique kills you can create in a world like this!_

The Stranger sat up quickly in anger. "You sick fuck, they are still people! All you've done is placed them in different bodies! It is still murder!"

_Well, technically I did not murder them, they bring this upon themselves or by others, like yourself. I just set up the situation and let them do the rest. You see, Stranger, they are special compared to you._

"What do you mean 'special'?"

_Well, when you came into this world, I was not able to properly give you your own traits and personality, thus you break any rules or barriers that I have set up, which is both sad and good really. But them, they are different. I've made each one special with a unique trait, but they all follow the same principle: no self awareness of this world and its actions, no worry._

"You mean... they know nothing of anything that happens? They are forced to die and they don't realize it?" The Stranger laid back down in disbelief.

_Well, it's not all bad. By forgetting their deaths, they don't have to live in fear. They simply live as if they were actual human beings, just inside the bodies of colorful animals._

"Why? Why tell me all of this? Why are you giving me all this information in one setting? And why are you making me live in this hellhole?!"

_Because you have total awareness of this world and lack any connection to it. You can break the boundaries and go crazy without my authority. So, I tell you this now, because I want to see what you will do with it. You know the truth now, and you will be haunted with the fact you will always live with it and be the only one who will ever know of it. We will get to play together and cause so much mayhem, and it'll be so much fun to do it with someone who actually has self-awareness this time. The only one with self-awareness. _

The Stranger began to shiver and cry as he began to yell. "But I don't want to play your shitty game! I just want to go home, away from all of this death and destruction! I want to see my family and friends again!" The Stranger began to hug himself, rocking back and forth.

_Ah, but Stranger, this is your new home now. I'm the only family you've got now, and these people will be your new friends. Stranger, this is your new reality, now and forever, and we are going to have so much fun together!_

And that was it. The voice left the Stranger alone in pitch black darkness of the dumpster, alone and afraid of the world. As the Stranger laid back crying inside the dumpster, he could only think about what he had just heard.

This was not his reality. The people here are real but placed into the bodies of colorful cartoon animals, and are forced to die in the worst imaginable way possible without any awareness of it ever happening. All of this that happens, and ever will happen, is all done by a mad man that he could only speak to.

And he was the only one who knew of this. The only one with awareness of anything. The Stranger will be forced for the rest of his life to watch others die in front of his eyes or by his hands, and he had no ability to help them.

Nor the ability to bring himself back home.

The Stranger could now hear the pouring of rain as drops began to fall on the lid of the dumpster. As the rain picked up in pace, the Stranger could make out the sounds of pain and agony emitting from the screams of innocent people. The Stranger decided to stay inside the dumpster. It was better (and safer) to do so than to try helping them. He was alone now, and he had to protect himself.

As the the screams began to pick up volume and pierce through the walls of the dumpster, the Stranger could only murmur to himself as he lied in terror.

"I want to go home..."


	4. Ch 3: Madness

**Chapter 3**

**Madness**

* * *

Storm clouds were forming above Happy Tree Town. Their dark menacing color was mixed in with the loud crackles of lightning that flashed across the sky, lighting up the entire area. As the sounds of thunder roared across the sky, rain poured heavily across the land, flooding the streets with water. Mixed with all of this was the screams of pain, agony and horror. The shouts of death were louder than the lightning itself, and could be heard throughout the town. Even the Stranger could hear these poor souls screaming in pain as he hid inside the dumpster. It was the only place safe enough for him to hide from the dangers outside. But the metal walls he hid behind could not block out the sounds of pain. He was more scared of the deaths people were facing than what the storm could do to the town. It sadden him greatly.

Suddenly, there was an absence of screams. The Stranger could only hear the thuds of rain hitting the top of the dumpster, and could no longer make out the sounds of pain emitting from the people. He sat up slowly and bowed his head.

"One-one thousand. Two-one thousand. Three-one thousand…."

The Stranger began counting the seconds after the last scream was made. He talked to himself for about thirty minutes to make sure the danger was gone. It was.

The Stranger stretched his body around, getting his muscles to easily move around after hiding in his dirty home for hours. After a short break of stretching, he slowly opened the metal lid and peered through the small window of visibility between the top of the lid and the dumpster. He looked back and forth to make sure his home was free of any obstacles that could hurt him. Seeing it was clear, he pushed the lid and opened the top of the dumpster completely, having the rain pour onto his body and revealing his form.

His body was a horrible sight to bear. His grey fur was covered in garbage and dry blood, and was completely matted and uncombed. His face was baggy and had an emotionless look. His body was thin, nearly able to pick out the bones of his rib cage. He had the look of death across his entire body. A look he would obtained when surviving in this world for two months.

After taking a few short breaths and letting the rain water wash some of the dirt and blood from his body, the Stranger vaulted over the dumpster and landed on a muddy puddle below it. He leaned back over into the dumpster to pull out a tattered dark-blue backpack, completely empty. After placing the backpack over his shoulders, he closed the lid of the dumpster to make sure it would not be flooded with water when he came back. Looking both ways down the alley, he went right towards the sidewalk before taking a left to reach his planned destination.

After walking for a few short minutes, he reached to a small plaza, which had a variety of stores to shop from. Originally, it looked beautiful, featuring an ornate water fountain in the center and a nicely paved stone pattern across the ground. Now, it was filled with the stench of death as dead bodies laid across the area. The Stranger looked at every lifeless body in the plaza, and it always surprised him how they could have possibly died. There was a purple mole who somehow had gotten his cane to be shoved through his left eye socket. There was a blue anteater who had his tongue stuck around a pole and had his entire organs ripped from his body. And there also was a pink beaver who was smashed by a fallen lamppost. All of these deaths were so strange that many of them defied the laws of physics and even life itself. But the Stranger could not care too much for their deaths. They died and will wake up the next morning forgetting the endeavor, so there was no need to complain. Besides, he had to look after himself, and had to survive through his own means of living.

What he began to do was something he was initially disgusted by. Something that made him feel like an awful monster that deserved to die due to such a dirty act of survival. He walked over towards the body of the pink beaver, his organs smashed across the area as he lied dead underneath the lamppost. He sat down on one knee and observed his body. And then, he began to loot through his fur pockets.

This is what the Stranger was doing for the two months after that dreadful day of learning what kind of world he now inhabits. Every night, when every person was dead, he walked out of his safehouse that was a dumpster and searched the dead for anything he could use to survive. Food, clothes, money, tools, anything that he could use to support himself. He became a grave robber, a thief that stole from the dead. And he did not regret any of it.

As he looted the body (which was beginning to appear unsuccessful as nothing of importance was showing up), he looked over to the white fountain in the center of the plaza. As he stared at its beautiful design, he began to recall his first and only attempt of trying to help people. The only day he tried to make a difference to be selfless and help others.

* * *

_It was day one of knowing the truth of the world. Hiding inside the dirty dumpster after running from the scene of murder he caused at the café, the Stranger woke up quickly. He was still scared and shocked by what the voice had told him. In twenty-four hours, everyone will have died in some horrific fashion, and they had no idea that their lives are forced to live this way. He may not know any of these people, but he could not just let these people die because they were forced to. So, after quickly rubbing his eyes to wake himself up, he opened the lid of the dumpster and reveal sunlight to his body. He had to cover his eyes since he hid in the dark for so long, but he had to fight it. He jumped out of the dumpster, and looked down both directions of the alley. Seeing to his right was a sidewalk, which he went to instantly, and took a left to see where it would take him. Sprinting for a short few minutes, the sidewalk led him to a small plaza filled with small stores. He noticed instantly that the plaza was filled with at least a dozen different people, both unique and generic in appearance. There was definitely enough people here to tell them the truth._

_ The Stranger looked around for a perfect spot to get their attention. He could pick out a white fountain in the center of the plaza, and believed it would be a good place to make his announcement. He made a short jog through the crowd and quickly reached the fountain, and climbed on top of the bottom ledge, balancing himself so he would not fall. He turned around sharply, seeing that no one had noticed him yet. He had to get their attention, so he took a deep breath and cried out to the people._

"EVERYONE, LISTEN!"

_The Stranger yelled at the top of his lungs, grabbing the attention of every person in the plaza. He was instantly greeted with a couple of gasps and screams, seeing that the person yelling was covered in blood and garbage. He looked like an insane serial killer that has woken up from his slumber and was ready to strike._

_ The Stranger had completely forgotten about his appearance, but he ignored it instantly. It did not matter what his body looked like. What was important was that he got the word out so people could save themselves from the impending danger. He raised his arms in the air and began to speak._

"Everyone, I need all of you to listen to me right now! What I am about to say will be the difference between life and death to every one of us here right now."

_As the Stranger said this sentence, every Tree Friend in the plaza gasped and stared in shock. The difference between life and death? What was happening? Can we trust what this person is saying?_

"People, everything you see right now, from this town, this entire world, and even you yourself right now, is nothing but a lie, a sham, a creation in a virtual reality. Everything here is not real!"

_The shock on people faces now turned into confusion. Everything is a lie? We are a lie? What is this insane person trying to point out, and what gives him the right to call us a lie? All these questions started to make the Tree Friends a little irritated instead of scared._

"All of this we see, all the things that happen and will ever happen, is done by a crazy mad scientist that runs everything. He controls and creates everything we see."

_Now he's saying that the world is being run by some random person? That this world is like some game being played by someone, and we are just random people being played? This is just plain madness._

"And, at the end of the day, every person in this world is going to die!"

_This sentence finally broke the attention of the Tree Friends. The world is a lie? A crazy mad man is controlling everything? And now he is telling all of us that we are going to die in the next twenty-four hours? This guy is insane!_

"I know all of this, I know this truth, because he spoke to me, the voice, the guy who controls this world, he told me!" _The Stranger said this as he pointing in the air with his right hand, shaking a little as he spoke._

_ That was the last thing the people were going to sit and listen to. Everything this person is telling us is from some voice in his head? Well they were not going to take his insane accusations and lies anymore. The Tree Friends began to stand up and walk towards the Stranger, gathering together in a small mob. As they grouped up, they began to argue in their gibberish language towards the Stranger, irritated by his speech. They slowly walked towards the Stranger's position, who knew that these Tree Friends were not taking his advice._

"I'm telling the truth here! Please listen to me! I am trying to save-"

_The Stranger's sentence was interrupted as he was suddenly hit by a rock to the chest. The rock hit him center mass and bruised him slightly. He held his hand across his chest as the rock caused a small sense of pain to his body. He looked up to notice the yellow bunny teaming up with a pink beaver, and had a slingshot in his hand. He was gathering small stones nearby to use as ammunition, and the Stranger was the target._

_ The Stranger attempted to speak over the crowd, who were now beginning to get real close to the Stranger's position. _"What are you doing?! I'm not lying or trying to hurt you! I'm-"

_The Stranger was interrupted again with another rock, this time to his shoulder, getting ever so closely to his head. He stumbled a little, almost falling into the water of the fountain he stood on. He raised his hands in the air in a surrendering position. _"Please, listen to me! I want to-"

_This was the last time the Stranger could speak to the crowd, as a third and final rock hit the Stranger directly in the forehead. The hit caused a severe blow to his head, cutting it slightly and making him lose his balance, causing him to fall backwards straight into the water. The fall caused him to hit the back of his head to the solid bottom of the fountain, almost sending the Stranger into a state of unconsciousness. As the Stranger slowly raised himself back up, he felt his head and noticed he was bleeding, which came from a large gash now visible on his head. As he looked at the crowd, he could not hear their voices as nothing but the sound of white noise filled his hearing. His vision was slightly blurry and could not clearly make out the people talking to him. He brought himself up from the fountain, and crawled out onto the pavement, seeing how the crowd was still hovering over him. He got onto his legs and slowly walked away, protecting his head as the yellow rabbit and pink beaver continued to throw rocks. As he walked away, he noticed that one of the rocks missed him, and hit a lamppost behind him, causing it to ricochet and fly back towards the pink beaver, hitting him straight in the eye, causing it to gush out blood as he screamed and ran in circles. Anything else that could possibly happen would now happen because of that incident._

_ The Stranger made it back to his little home of a dumpster, and decided to collapse at the base of it instead of jumping in. His entire body was soaking wet from the fall into the fountain, which at least washed some of the dry blood and dirt off. As he sat down holding his head to cover the bleeding, he heard the voice of the mad man he heard yesterday._

What are you trying to do Stranger? What were you trying to accomplish just now?

"I was trying to help them to save themselves from the death you're about to bring on to them. I was trying to save them."

I thought I made it pretty clear that, unlike you, they have no self-awareness. This world is all they know. This is the only world they ever will know. Telling them that this world is a lie only makes you look like an insane person in their eyes, which is kind of interesting to watch you be one really.

"But they don't deserve to die! They should not have to live in a fucked up world like this!"

Stranger, you need to stop caring for these people. You're not like them. You can't save them. They have their own rules that they must follow, and you can't change that. Besides, you don't know anything about these people. You should stop caring for these people and start looking after yourself Stranger. You must survive on your own.

"But I'll be alone. I won't have anyone to be with. I won't have any goals to work for."

Ah, but you have me, Stranger. We still got some fun games to play, you and I. Trust me Stranger, it is best that you stay to yourself, and let them be on their own. There is no point in helping them Stranger, so you should just stay and look after yourself.

* * *

And that was what the Stranger did. After that failed attempt to save them, he had to accept what the mad man was saying. It was true, only he could accept what the mad man was saying. He was the only one with self-awareness of the world and the way it works. And since the people lack such an ability, telling them that their world is a lie would be an insane accusation in their eyes. They would never accept the Stranger's truth, and he had to accept it. From that moment onward, the Stranger stayed to himself, letting the world do its work, and he did his own.

After a quick search of the pink beaver's body, the Stranger could not find anything of use that would benefit him. "Son of a bitch, another useless body. Just a wallet with a couple of bucks. Damn." The Stranger slowly got up and looked down at the body, feeling slightly sorry for the poor soul. "Sorry man, wish there was something I could have done."

The Stranger looked over to notice a destroyed clothing store. There was a truck that crash through the front of the building, destroying the entire first section of the store. Most of the clothes would be destroyed, but there could be some that are still intact. He went over to the store and climbed through the broken glass window, walking over the rubble on the floor. He looked through the aisles slowly, looking for any perfectly intact clothes, but was beginning to look hopeless. The Stranger made one final attempt to find some good clothes by walking to the back section of the store and noticed a good looking brown leather jacket still hanging on a rack. He walked over to it and felt it with his right hand. It was clean and was his size. He took the jacket off its rack and put his arms through the sleeves. After tightening up the jacket, it felt nice and snug, and kept the Stranger warm. It looked fashionably looking too.

As the Stranger made the final adjustments to the jacket, he looked over to the wreck to notice the two raccoons from his first day into the town. They must have been the ones driving, and must have lost control of the truck and crashed into the store. They were far from alive, though, as their heads were pierced on hook hangers on the other side of the store, dangling off the ground. The Stranger slowly walked over and looked straight into their lifeless eyes. He felt sorry for the two of them, and noticed that one of the raccoons still had a nice hat. The Stranger took the hat off the green raccoon's head, dusted off the debris and blood, and placed it nicely on his head. It was a nice looking hat, and he always wanted a hat.

The Stranger, now satisfied of his findings, turned around to walk out the store. But before he made his exit out to the plaza once more, he turned around to look at the raccoons one more time.

"At least they died together."

The Stranger was now outside once more into the rain, his new brown coat keeping his fur dry. As he looked around at the other stores, his stomach made a loud growl, sending him to his knees. He has been starving to death for days, barely eating the minimal nutrition value to sustain life. Seeing that there was no food stands, he made a new plan to check out the grocery store, which should have plenty of food still left over. Getting back up onto his feet, the Stranger began his walk once more onto the street, and took a short journey towards the store. As he walked, he had another bad memory of the events during his time in this world. This time, he can recall when the world was changing him for the worse.

* * *

_It was a bright, sunny summer afternoon. On the side of the grocery store, the Stranger was hiding behind a corner. He was jittery, looking quickly back and forth as if he were hiding from something. He was taking fast breaths, having a scared and creepy look on his face. He grabbed onto his stomach as it continued to growl. He needed food and he needed it now. He had no money to purchase his own food, so he had to resort to other means of obtaining food._

_ He suddenly heard the doors of the grocery store slide open, and looked over to see who was coming out. It was a pink beaver, pushing a cart filled with a wide assortment of food. It was enough to feed the Stranger for a week's time if rationed carefully. And the situation was perfect too, since no one else was in the vicinity._

_ The Stranger jumped out of the corner, and ran straight up to the pink beaver. The beaver, unaware of the Stranger's presence, was shaken when the Stranger grabbed him and pulled him to his face._

"Don't do anything stupid now, asshole! Just give me your cart and I'll be on my way."

_The pink beaver was somehow braver than usual. Instead of walking off, he pushed the Stranger back, and prepared a stance to fight back._

"Okay you little fucker. You want to go? Let's go!"

_The Stranger lunged forward and grabbed the pink beaver once more, and slung his right fist into the beaver's face. The beaver fell straight into the ground, his face bleeding from the blow. The Stranger bended over and picked up the beaver, about to hit him again before the beaver kicked him in the knee, pushing the Stranger back a short distance. After getting his balance back, the Stranger did one more grab onto the pink beaver, and threw him onto the cart, making it roll forward onto the road with the pink beaver laying in it._

_ The Stranger stood still on the sidewalk as he saw the pink beaver get run over by an incoming truck, destroying the beaver's body and the food._

What a beautiful kill! A short little duel before pushing him down the street. Love it!

"Fuck off, man. All I wanted was some food, not to kill him. Great."

_ The Stranger turned around sharply to notice a white lamb exiting the store and carrying a plastic bag filled with food. The lamb stood still in fear as the Stranger stared at her. Seeing that the food looked fresh, the Stranger grabbed the bag and pushed the lamb away, sending her down onto the pavement. The Stranger quickly searched the bag to see a couple cans of food, which should support him for about three days, and a random pickle, which he quickly threw out._

"Hate pickles. I hate them so much. They taste like crap and feel like they want to kill you. You can have that to eat."

_The Stranger then began a fast sprint away from the store, to hide from the scene and enjoy is prize._

* * *

The Stranger stood in front of the grocery store, recalling the events. It was that day were he knew that this world was turning him into something else. He used to be a good person in his original world. But here, he was a thief, a looter, a murderer. This world made him a monster, and he knew it. But he had no choice. This was the lifestyle he had to accept if he wanted to live. And he hated living, at least in this world.

The grocery store would not be a good place to obtain food tonight as the store was completely flooded. Turns out, someone must have activated the fire alarm and the sprinkler system flooded the store, drowning everyone inside and ruining all the food. Another tragic accident that should never have happened.

The Stranger felled to his knees once more as his stomach began to growl even louder. He will not survive long if he did not get food. He was willing to eat anything right now just to fill his stomach.

_Boy, you sure are hungry._

"You think?"

_Well I can't let my favorite new toy die on an empty stomach. I know a great place to get some food._

The Stranger slowly looked behind him to now notice a building on fire. He could not recall it being on fire before, but he believed it must be a sign that food exist there. He hated the mad man always talking to him, but if he was giving him free food, he had to take it.

The Stranger took the short journey over to the building, and stood outside as the flames engulfed the entire area. It was the café he was at the second day.

"Well this is no better. All the food inside is going to be completely burnt. Besides, I can't exactly walk through fire."

_Well of course you won't find food there. But, there are other means of obtaining food. Some unconventional means._

A strange smell began to enter the Stranger's nose. It came from something beside him. He was scared to look, but he had to know what the smell was coming from. He began to wish he hadn't look, as the smell came from two dead bodies, burnt to a crisp. One was a large brown bear in a read bathrobe. In his hands was a little brown cub with a beanie hat. Both were burnt completely and charred in black. They were most certainly dead. And they both smelled delicious.

"No… No… Please don't…"

_You want to survive right? Besides, I do believe you ate animals in your own world, so why should this be any different. If I were you, I'd go for the young cub. It's young and fresh, and the meat should be nice and tender. Go on Stranger, you need to survive, and they will be just fine._

Is this really happening? Was the Stranger really doing this? Was he desperate enough to survive in this awful world that he would eat the innocent people that inhabit it to live in it?

"But…They…They are still…"

_Come on Stranger, they won't know any of this. They won't feel a thing and won't know you will have done this. You don't give two shits about these people in the first place anyway. You've made that quite apparent Stranger, so you might as well go with it._

The Stranger walked over to the two dead bodies, and knelled before them as the rain continued to fall. He stared at them, sobbing quietly as he thought of the action he was about to perform. He did not want to do this. This was not him. But what choice did he have. He slowly dropped his tattered backpack on the ground beside him, resting it nicely against him. As he reached to the silver zippers on the bag, his hands began to shake violently, and he started to hyperventilate, taking faster breaths each second as he prepared himself. He opened the bag, and reached inside to pull out a silver knife, clean and sharp, able to cut through the toughest of meat. He stared into the metallic reflection of the knife, looking at himself as he continued to shake and breathe violently, and his heartbeat beginning to pick up pace.

"I…I don't want to do this… I just…"

_Do it Stranger. Show me that you are willing to do anything to survive in this world, no matter how dark it may seem. I want to see the real you._

The Stranger grasped the knife with both hands, shaking the knife and almost dropping it. He slowly brought the knife over to the two dead bodies, and observed the smaller cub. It was definitely fresh and would taste better. The Stranger placed the knife over the neck of the dead bear child, and took several deep breaths as he closed his eyes.

"One…Two…"

Before he made counted his last number before beginning the operation, he opened his eyes gently, and stared at the face of the child. As the Stranger stared at the dead child's face, he started to see something moving. He leaned in closer and started to hear the sounds of laughter, and was starting to make out the appearance of a person. Suddenly, the vision became clear. The person he was looking at was a child. And not just any child, but a human child. It was a young boy, playing in the middle of a field, having what appeared to be the time of his life. As the Stranger watched, he noticed that he himself was also there in the field with the young boy. And he too was a human. He looked around to see a blue sky and green grass. It looked peaceful.

The Stranger then looked over towards the boy, and noticed the boy was looking at him too. The Stranger could see the boy smiling, and waved to the Stranger. The Stranger smiled widely, and also gave a friendly wave to the young boy. He slowly walked towards the child, deciding it would be fun to play in a peaceful place like this. But the boy began to look scared. The smile on his face was gone and replaced with the look of terror. The Stranger stopped moving and had a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong? I am not going to hurt you, I'm a good guy."

The Stranger stopped speaking as he noticed the world around him began to change for the worse. As he looked around, he saw the sky turn blood red, and the field around him began to set ablaze with fire. The green grass before him turned into dark ash, and the fire began to move inwards towards the two innocent people. The Stranger then looked over to notice the child, and what he saw terrified him.

"Young boy, what's happening?! Are you okay?!"

The child the Stranger was staring at was now having scars appearing across his face. As the Stranger watched, the scars began to widen, and blood started to rush down across his entire face. The Stranger began to walk backwards as he noticed that the child's neck was suddenly having a gash moving around his entire throat, with blood spurting out as it continued to move. When the cut completely went around the child, the young boy's head rolled off, with the organs that attached the two parts coming out and spilling across the dark ground.

The Stranger began to freak out, looking around sharply as he saw the wall of fire moving closely towards him. He looked down to see the body of the child lit up in flames, and began to move towards the Stranger. Before the Stranger could be engulfed by the fire, he suddenly woke up back in Happy Tree Town, still kneeling on the ground in the rain. He shook his head, waking up from the terrible vision he had just received. But then he remembered what he was doing. As he looked back towards his hands, he noticed that the knife was slowly dug into the child's neck, slowly releasing blood.

The Stranger quickly jumped far away from the body, and threw the knife a great distance away from him. He stood up instantly and yelled loudly to the heavens, crying immensely while doing so.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?!"

The Stranger spoke at a volume that could have been heard across the world, and fell to his knees, placing his hands over his face as he cried violently. What he had done was something he thought this world would never do to him, but it happened. He was not only a thief and a murderer, but was now a cannibal. He was the pure symbol of what a monster is. "What kind of sick fuck have I become?! What has this world done to me?!"

_Oh Stranger, what are you doing? Your meal is about to get cold._

"Fuck you! I am not going to take any of your shit anymore! I'm done with you and this fucking world! Take me home right now you god damn asshole!"

_Oh Stranger, but I don't want you to leave. You're to fun._

"Then fucking kill me! Kill me right now so I no longer have to remember any of this shit. Turn me into one of your little minions and use me for whatever sick experiments you choose! Just kill me!"

_But Stranger, if I did that, this world would be boring again._

"How could it be fucking boring, huh?! I'd just be back and you can do this shit all over again! That's how you have this world set up."

_While that is indeed true for the people that were already here, the same rule does not apply to you._

The Stranger looked up confused. "What do you mean it does not apply to me?"

_Well, if you recall, you entered this world without me setting any traits or regulations on you, which is why you have self-awareness. Sadly, another thing that does not apply due to you not being properly placed into this world is the resurrection cycle. If you were to die in anyway, I can't save you._

The Stranger looked back down at his knees, and began to have terrible thoughts. "You mean, if I die, I won't have to live with this shit anymore? I'd be free from it all?"

_Well, you would suffer a massive cardiac arrest and your actual body on the outside world would die, thus not actually leaving this world in a peaceful fashion, but yes, you would never come back here. But that's a terrible thought and I do not want to bring that upon you._

The Stranger stood up slowly, and looked forward. "If I die, I don't have to live here no more. I won't have to live the life of a monster and live through this shit anymore. I would be free." The Stranger looked around, and noticed a tall building in the distance. He counted the number of floors, which totaled twelve. It was perfect.

_Oh Stranger, don't think like that. There still so much we have yet to have done, and the good stuff has not even been prepared._

The Stranger ignored the mad man's voice, picked up his backpack and walked back to his home. As he made it back to the dark alley, he opened the lid of the dumpster slowly, and stopped midway, sobbing softly as he started to realize what he was planning to do.

"I wish there was another way, but there just isn't. I'm sorry."

The Stranger jumped into the dumpster, closing the lid and hid himself from the world once more.


	5. Ch 4: Another Way

**Chapter 4**

**Another Way**

* * *

The rain had finally stopped after a night long storm that blanketed the town. The absence of rain drops hitting the top of the dumpster had waken the Stranger from his slumber, still shaken by last night's tragic events. He still felt sick of the horrendous action he almost committed. Cannibalism; could the Stranger really have lived with the thought that he almost ate another person? The Stranger knew he never belonged in this world, and last night was the undeniable proof that he had to leave, even if it meant taking his own life.

The Stranger stayed inside his dumpster, longer than usual, as he sat and thought about the action he was about to perform today. He just can't take the pressure, the horror, the death that occurs every day in this world. He has seen so many innocent people die, some even by his hands, and the world itself had changed him into a person he never wanted to be. He could no longer live in this world. He was too scared to continue living the way he lives now.

But what scared and sadden him more was that the only way to leave was through his own hands. The mad man who speaks in his head would never create a situation to kill his new pet, so he had to do it on his own. If the Stranger killed himself, he will never have to live in this world anymore. But, at the same time, he will never be able to live in his own world, as death will be completely permanent on both sides of reality. The Stranger was not going to win this battle, and he had to accept defeat.

After a brief moment of thinking and a failed attempt to fight his way out of his actions, the Stranger slowly opened the lid of the dumpster, exposing himself to the outside world once more. He was still wearing the brown leather coat from yesterday, with the addition of his blue tattered backpack and the hat he stole from the green raccoon's dead body. After adjusting his clothes, he jumped out of the dumpster and landed on the concrete floor. He did not bother closing the lid of the dumpster since he knew he would never come back to it ever again. Then again, it was not such a bad thing to return back to it anyway. No longer must he deal with the terrible stench every night. That was a positive the Stranger was willing to enjoy.

The Stranger walked to the sidewalk, still covering his eyes from the sunlight before adjusting his vision to get a clear view of his environment. He watched as Tree Friends, both unique and generic, walking across the sidewalk and driving on the road. He watched how they were going through there day as if there was no trouble in the world to worry about. This only sadden the Stranger even more. They will, for the rest of their lives, be forced to die every day. They will never understand the truth of this world. And there was nothing the Stranger could have done to help.

After having his vision adjusted to the sunlight, the Stranger looked up to notice the large tower from yesterday, still standing stable and strong. It was not the most elegant building, and had the appearance of a rectangular business tower, but it would serve its purpose. While it was only a short distance away across the sidewalk and a few blocks to the left, the Stranger decided to take a stroll across the beautiful town of Happy Tree Town. He wanted to see the people and environment one last time before his departure.

Going right down the sidewalk instead of left, the Stranger mostly looked down at his two grey paws instead of seeing the sights. From time to time, though, he would look up to see the Tree Friends enjoying their day, either by conversing with each other, shopping at stores, eating at a café, or even playing in the park. He even got to see the two bears from yesterday, the father playing ball with his son. They were so happy together, and he felt sick remembering what he had almost done to them. But it was already done, and there was nothing he could do to take it back.

After multiple hours of walking, the sun now on its way to the western horizon, the Stranger believed that it was time to leave. He made his short journey through town, still watching the other Tree Friends go about their day, and finally made it to the revolving glass doors of the large tower. He looked up to admire its size and how well constructed it really was. It would take a massive explosion at its foundation to even knock it over. But what the Stranger cared more for was the height. Having a total of twelve floors plus access to the roof made it a guarantee success for his terrible action he was going to perform. It was perfect and sad at the same time.

The Stranger walked through the revolving doors, and entered a small hallway. There was a receptionist desk to his left, being managed by the purple lamb from the grocery store. She was kind enough to wave and give a friendly "Hello," practically the only word the Stranger could ever make out. The Stranger did not return the friendly greeting, and instead continue walking a short distance until hitting a large rotunda. It was beautifully constructed and well-organized. In the center was a nice marble fountain with a few cushioned benches, and four large stone pillars that held the tower upright. To the north end were the bathrooms. The east and west sides had elevators that carried people to each of the twelve floors. What pleased the Stranger the most was the inclusion of stairs, with two sections available: one in the northeast side and one in the southwest side. With the added bit of a nice tile flooring, large glass windows, and beautiful décor, it was an amazing tower, at least in the inside.

The Stranger, however, was not here to admire the beauty of tower. As far as he knows, it will only fall over and everyone would die inside. There was no need to have false hope in a place that is doomed from the start. The Stranger decided to take the northeast stairs to reach the roof, and slowly walked to the door. As he walked to the entrance of the door, he noticed the nice gold-plated doors of the elevators. Definitely a nice touch.

What he also noticed was a red porcupine dressed in a black suit waiting outside the elevator doors, along with the orange beaver with a hard hat and the purple mole. But something made that red porcupine stand out in front of the small crowd. This person was shaking nervously, and making silent yet nervous laughs. What was this person scared of?

As the Stranger watched the red porcupine shake in fear, he could not help but feel sorry for the person. No one should have to live in fear, never. Before opening the door that led to the stairs, the Stranger walked over to the red porcupine. Standing behind the person, the Stranger could notice a large quantity of white flakes that were practically covering all of the porcupine's quills from top to bottom. Seeing the red porcupine still shaking, the Stranger reached out his left hand to touch the porcupine's right shoulder.

The porcupine instantly jumped, some of its flakes falling off, and was startled from the surprise touch. The porcupine turned around sharply, breathing fast and having a scared look on its face. The porcupine looked at the Stranger, scared and confused. The Stranger looked at the fear in the porcupine's face, and felt sadden by its appearance. He then looked at the porcupine's suit to notice a nametag, which read "Flaky." The Stranger looked back up and placed a fake smile on his face.

"It's okay Flaky. Everything will be fine. It's just another day at work. It will go by fast, and you'll be back home safe and sound. Trust me."

The Stranger at first thought saying such lies was futile. There was no point in trying to calm down a person when they were going to die anyway. But the Stranger was surprised when he noticed that Flaky suddenly stopped making fast and scared breaths. Flaky even made a calm, shy and friendly smile to the Stranger. The Stanger's short sentence somehow made Flaky feel a little safer than before, despite not even knowing this person. Seeing the smile on Flaky's face made the Stranger a little happy to know that this person did not have to live in fear, at least for the time being, and gave a friendly smile back.

The two were startled when the 'ding' of the elevator went off, signaling its arrival to the first floor. Flaky turned around to see the doors open and the other Tree Friends enter. Flaky walked to the elevator and entered with the rest, and press the button that would take them to the top floor. But before the doors closed, Flaky looked back at the Stranger and gave a small wave and said what the Stranger believed was "Goodbye." The Stranger waved back as the doors closed and the elevator went up. The Stranger then let out a big sigh.

"That man really needs to use some dandruff shampoo or something. Damn."

The Stranger continued his journey once more to the door, and looked inside to see a narrow but tall set of stairs, leading to each and every floor, including the roof. The Stranger looked down and shook his head, knowing that he had a long climb ahead of him.

The Stranger began to make his ascent to the top of the tower, passing each floor one by one. But by the tenth floor, he stopped, and looked down at his feet, questioning what he was about to do.

"I really wish there was another way to live in this world. I really wish that I could find a purpose to live here or make myself the person that is good and not a monster. I wish there was some way that I could actually help these people without the fear of hurting them. But there just isn't. I can't live this life no more. If I must live in a world where I'm a murderer and everyone must die in which I can't do anything to stop it, than I want out, even if it means my own life."

_Oh Stranger, don't think like that. You do have reasons to live here, and we can certainly find a way to help you live in this world with a purpose. You just need to stay a little longer._

The voice returned to haunt him one more time. "What reasons are there? Me staying as your fucking sick toy to be used whenever you want? Yeah, fuck that, asshole, I want no part of it!"

_Do you really think that killing yourself is the answer? That ending your life in such a selfish and childish manner will solve all your problems?_

"If it means I no longer have to deal with your shit no more, than by God, it is worth it."

_Oh Stranger, that is such a sad and ignorant answer. Well, I guess you've already made up your mind, so carry on than. It was fun while it lasted._

The voice left, and the Stranger continued his journey up the tower and to the rooftop. The Stranger waited outside the door that led to the roof, and took a few moments of breathing, preparing himself for his own demise. He then opened the door slowly, releasing in a cool breeze that made his body shiver, even with his large brown coat. He placed his left hand on his head to keep his hat from flying away. The Stranger walked out onto the rooftop and continued to feel the incoming breeze, making his coat flutter in the wind. He made a slow and steady pace to the edge of the tower, where railings were guarding the top and to help people from falling over.

The Stranger finally made it to the edge and looked forward to see the city. As the sun was setting, he could see many bright lights that emitted from the variety of houses and stores. It lit up the city, making it look calm and beautiful. The Stranger then looked below him, and felt dizzy by observing the height between the ground and the roof he stood on. He knew that the drop would be high, but he did not imagine it to be this high. But it only made it feel better knowing that his death would be certainly achieved. It would be a miracle to survive it, and knowing this world, miracles are only a fantasy.

The Stranger stood still, placing his arms and hands straight down his sides. He looked forward and took a few breaths. He then shed a tear as he could only think of one sentence as his final words.

"I'm sorry… I wish there was another way…"

He prepared himself to lean over the rail and let gravity do the rest of the work. But as he slowly leaned over the rails, he noticed something happening down the streets. Down below, he could see a massive fuel tanker driving outrageously fast, swerving back and forth. The Stranger straightened himself, watching the truck drive down the road.

"Damn, whoever is driving that needs his license revoked. He is going to hit…"

The Stranger then noticed that the tanker had taken a left, and was now on its way to the tower. The Stranger slowly walked back a short distance, watching as the truck got closer and closer. He then made a sudden realization.

"Oh shit, that truck is going to hit-"

A sudden crash was heard, and screams and destroyed building parts falling over could be heard. The Stranger ran back to the railings and looked below, noticing the large hole that was now apparent in front of the building. It was completely destroyed.

"Shit! I hope everyone on the first floor is-"

A large explosion was made during the middle of the Stranger's sentence. The fuel tanker had made a violent detonation, sending out a large blast of fire and vibration across the entire building. The vibration made the Stranger fall down, landing on his back as he hit the ground. It dazed him and he held his head.

"Okay, no one could have survived that shit. Damn, how or why was a fuel tanker out here? Really, where is the…"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he felt a sudden vibration on his body. He was confused and wonder where the vibration was emitting from. He then looked at the ground beneath him and notice tiny pieces of stones were bouncing up and down as the building made another tiny vibration. It was here that the Stranger got the idea.

"Fuck! The tower is going to fall!"

The Stranger quickly jumped up back to his feet and started panting, wondering what to do. He was going to kill himself, right? So why bother running? The Stranger did not think of these reasons, and instead made a dash for the door, entering the staircase once more. As he began his descent to retreat to the bottom floor, he stopped and stood in front of the door that had the number twelve on it. As the Stranger stood still, he listened carefully and could hear people on the floor screaming. The sudden explosion and shaking was scaring the Tree Friends and sending them into a panic that took away their common sense to run. They needed help.

_Ignore them Stranger. They'll die and come back tomorrow. Go and save yourself._

"But there is the chance that I could help these guys."

_Remember the last time you tried to help? They ignored you and threw stones at you. Besides, you'll probably get them killed in the end anyway._

"But that is because I tried talking to them in a calm situation in which there was no present danger. Now they are in a dangerous situation that they could die in. This is different!"

_I see no difference. All I see is a person making a questionable action that is not worth doing and should be running instead._

The Stranger took a quick thought of what the voice was saying. It is true, he failed last time in helping them, and he could just get them killed in the end anyway. He then came up with the perfect excuse.

"Well fuck it. I was going to off myself anyway."

The Stranger ran to the door and kicked it down, giving him a clear view of the room. It was filled with cubicles and business rooms, just like any office. It was also filled with Tree Friends frantically running around and screaming. Looking through the crowd, he could pinpoint the orange beaver with a hard hat, a purple mole, a yellow rabbit, a purple beaver, a pink chipmunk with a red bow, and a dark blue skunk with a flower on her head. And in that same room was the red porcupine, Flaky, from downstairs, who looked the most scared.

Seven people on the top floor were in a state of panic. And they had no one to lead or help them escape. They had no awareness or the common sense to help them escape this situation. But the Stranger did. He could save them. And that was his plan.

"HEY, EVERYONE! OVER HERE!" The Stranger yelled, waving his hands and grabbing the Tree Friends attention. His yells made every Tree Friend stop and look over at the Stranger, panting and having fear in their eyes.

"I need all of you to listen carefully! If you want to get down this tower alive, I need each and every one of you to get in a neat and orderly line and follow me. I will lead you down the building and we will all get home safely. You can trust me!"

The Tree Friends looked at each other, wondering if it was safe to follow some random stranger. One of them, however, did not have to think twice, and it was Flaky. The red porcupine stood in front of the Stranger, completely scared but still trusted the Stranger to save their lives. Seeing that one Tree Friend was already there, the rest ran up and got in an orderly fashion, and placed all their eyes on the Stranger.

"Okay, follow me and stay close. We're going to make it, I promise."

The Stranger now began to go down the stairs, forced to go slowly as the purple mole appeared to be blind and had the assistance of the orange beaver to lead him down the stairs. As they made their descent, the vibrations of the tower continued to become more violent, creating tiny cracks on the stone walls and sending down pieces of stone material and dust from the stairs and ceilings. They would make it down to the third floor before another violent outburst, this time causing severe damage to the building.

As the shaking got violent, the Stranger looked up and noticed that the stairs were almost about to break, and pieces began to fall.

"Shit! Every one, get back!" The Stranger yelled, pushing everyone back up to the third floor. As he pushed, a large pile of broken stairs felled down, destroying the bottom stairs and creating a blockade, preventing their descent down the northeast stairs.

The Stranger went through a quick thought process and remembered that another flight of stairs was available down the southwest side. That was their next move.

"Okay. New plan: we are going to exit this side and run to the southwest area of the building and go down that flight of the stairs. Let's move!"

The Tree Friends let the Stranger walk through and enter the third floor. Observing the room, it was the same as the top, but most of the furniture was broken, and the walls and ceilings were beginning to crack. They had to move fast.

The Stranger made a mad dash across the room, walking between the cubicles as if it were some kind of maze. After navigating through the room, he made it to the southwest door. He looked behind and waited for the arrival of the other Tree Friends, going more slowly than the Stranger, which sent him into a state of panic as he waited.

The Tree Friends would finally make it to the Stranger's position, already holding his hand on the door knob.

"Okay, we are almost to the bottom. Just a few more floors and we are-"

A sudden vibration shook the building. This vibration, however, became violent enough to send everyone to their backs and sides. As they laid on the ground, the Stranger looked up to notice that a section of their floor was starting to make a large crack across the room. It was separating itself from the building. When the cracks meet, their side will lean over and fall.

"Everyone, get up now!" The Stranger picked himself up and attempted to pick up one of the Tree Friends. But the cracks finally met, and one more final vibration dropped them back to their sides, and the building began to lean over, causing them to slide towards the glass windows. The Stranger watched in fear as his body was flipping over and heading to the window, which would send him straight down to the concrete sidewalk. He braced his body as he hit the wall, causing a large crack onto the safety glass. The Stranger laid there sore from the fall, and looked down the window to see the building was leaning over but not falling, its bottom section still attached.

He looked over to notice that some of the office tables were now falling and sliding towards the windows as well. With the additional force of the furniture, the windows would surely break. The Stranger prepared himself as the tables and chairs hit the windows, breaking it and causing him to fall out. As he exited the window, he made a quick grab to the on the edge of the floor, and was now hanging for his life, losing his hat along the way in the wind.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh this is fucking it!"

The Stranger was panting quickly, and looked over as other materials were falling out the window. But then he remembered the other Tree Friends, and he began to see each and every one of them fall out the building, screaming as they fell and landed on the concrete sidewalk, smashing their entire bodies like pancakes and sending their organs across the pavement. The Stranger hanged on the edge and watched, seeing that he had failed once again at trying to save them. And he led them to their deaths.

"No! God damn it, no!"

The Stranger continued to hang, desperately holding on to the ledge, and believed he should just let go as he had failed once more in trying to save someone. But then he heard a scream coming from inside the building, and looked over to see that Flaky was still inside, looking at the Stranger with fear as the porcupine steadied his feet on the floor. He slowly tried to walk towards the Stranger, carefully moving to not slip on the angled floor. But another vibration occurred, shaking Flaky just enough to fall down, and begin sliding across the floor. He was going to fall out the window and die with the rest of the Tree Friends.

As Flaky fell out the window, screaming in fear as he flew out, he suddenly stopped falling, and looked at his left forearm to notice someone was holding on to him. It was the Stranger, now hanging by one hand and holding Flaky with the other.

"NO! I did not do all of this work just to have all of you die on me again! You're going to get home!" The Stranger yelled, looking at Flaky with a serious face. He looked up at the ledge, and quickly looked back at Flaky. "I'm going to swing you up to the ledge, and I need you to grab on to it. Can you do that?!"

Flaky was reluctant to answer, but made a quick nod. The Stranger began to swing Flaky back and forth a few times to make some momentum, and swung him to the ledge, which he successfully grabbed on to.

The Stranger pulled himself up the ledge and back onto the angled floor, and moved over to pull Flaky up. Both the two survivors were now safely on the leaning floor. The Stranger looked over to see the big crack about to get bigger, and quickly looked back to Flaky. "We got to get on the flat side! Come on!"

The two slowly walked up the angled floor, trying not to lose their footing. As they made it to the small gap, the Stranger made the jump across the gap between the leaning floor and flat side, and was now standing on the stable side. He looked over, though, to see Flaky still standing on the leaning side of the building, scared about jumping over the small gap.

"Don't worry, I will catch you if you fall!" The Stranger said, reassuring the safety for Flaky as he reached out his hands. Flaky then made the jump across the gap and was caught by the Stranger, and looked at him with a tiny smile and made a nervous laugh.

"See, we've made it. I told you we were-"

A crack was heard, and the two look beneath them to notice that the floor was creating a small circle around them, and a loud creaking sound was made.

"Well shit, that's just-"

The floor collapsed, and the two fell through, landing on the second floor hard. The second floor would not last long either, as it too broke, sending both of them to the first floor, along with a large array of building parts and furniture.

The Stranger lied within the rubble, coughing as the smoke in the air was obstructing his vision and lungs. He slowly got up and pushed some debris off his body, feeling immense pain on his right leg and side. He collapse on his left knee, breathing heavily and holding onto his side. He observed the first floor, seeing fire consuming the entire area, and black smoke taking away the oxygen in the air. The Stranger then realized there was something important missing.

"Flaky! Flaky, where are you?!"

The Stranger got up and walked around, limping on his right leg and holding onto his side. He tried to look through the smoke as the large explosion from the fuel tanker caused the fire to go rampant. He then heard a cough and small cry for help coming close by. The Stranger turned around to see Flaky on the ground, still alive. But something was wrong.

Limping on his right leg to Flaky, he noticed a terrible situation. Flaky did fall to the ground along with the Stranger, but a large metal construction rod that held the floors together came with him, and was now pierced into his abdominal area. He was coughing blood and was having a difficult time breathing. Flaky was going to die very soon if medical attention was not applied.

_Leave the porcupine Stranger. Don't you see it's going to die? Save yourself now!_

"No, I can still save him! I just need to get him home!"

_It's not worth the risk, Stranger. Just stop and run now!_

"Fuck off, I don't have to listen to you!" The Stranger leaned over to Flaky and looked at him straight into his eyes. "Don't worry Flaky. Just stay calm. I'm going to get this thing out of you and get you home. You're going to make it!"

Flaky slowly nodded as the Stranger took his coat off. He looked around and saw a small piece of wood, which he grabbed and placed between Flaky's teeth. "Bite hard! Bite really hard, okay?!" Flaky nodded again as he began to bite on the piece of wood. The Stranger then place both his hands on the metal rod, getting a firm grip. "On three! One…"

The Stranger made a tighter grip while Flaky closed his eyes.

"Two…" The Stranger made a stance to get the metal rod out, and Flaky began to breathe at a fast pace.

"THREE!" The Stranger used all of his remaining strength to pull out the metal rod, taking it straight out. The rod left behind a huge hole, rushing blood out fast as Flaky screamed in pain. The Stranger dropped the rod and quickly went for his jacket, and began tying it around Flaky to cover the wound. After it was nice and tight, the Stranger grabbed both of Flaky's hands and placed them over the jacket. "Apply as much pressure as you can! I'm taking you home!"

The Stranger went to his knees and placed one arm underneath Flaky's legs and another under Flaky's back, and brought him straight off the ground. The Stranger suddenly felt a huge set of pain coming from his left arm, completely forgetting Flaky was a porcupine, with all of his large red quills piercing his left forearm. But he made himself ignore it, and began to limp slowly out the building as building parts and debris began to fall.

The Stranger will successfully carry Flaky out of the building, both now standing in front of the burning tower which will fall down completely in a matter of seconds. The Stranger, who looked pitch black from the smoke and was panting due to the adrenaline and fear fueling his body, quickly looked around while holding Flaky, and noticed an incoming ambulance. It could not have come at a more convenient time.

The Stranger rushed over to the now parked ambulance and opened the back doors, seeing an empty table and some medical supplies inside. He jumped in and placed Flaky on the table, taking some of his quills with him on the Stranger's arm, causing sharp pain and a slow bleeding across the forearm. The Stranger ignored this and dropped his backpack on the ground and searched for some medical supplies. Inside one case was a set of medical bandages, which he quickly pulled out and started applying to Flaky's abdomen and over the jacket , which was already soaking with blood.

After finishing applying the bandages, he looked over Flaky with a worried but still serious look. "You're almost home Flaky. Just hold on for a little bit longer." The Stranger could notice Flaky was low on blood as he nodded very slowly and spoke quietly. The Stranger then quickly jumped out of the ambulance and slammed the door shut. He made a quick dash to the driver's seat, and opened the door to reveal a blue anteater in a surgeon's uniform. The two looked at each other in a confused daze, and the Stranger grabbed the anteater and threw him out of the ambulance. The Stranger jumped in and closed the door while starting the vehicle. As the engine turned on, he look over at the anteater.

"Sorry man, nothing personal. I just can't trust anyone of you to do shit right yet. I'll make it up though! Promise!"

The Stranger floored it and drove off, leaving the blue anteater at the building. As he drove, the Stranger looked into the rear view mirror to watch the anteater. "I'm sure he will be fine." As he said this, the building began to collapse and a large piece of building material fell straight onto the anteater, crushing his body. The Stranger cringed a little at the sight, and looked forward.

_What are you trying to do, Stranger? Why are you going through all this work to save one person?_

"Because I can! I know I can save him! And I know that I don't have to listen to anything you have to say to me!"

_Stranger, this is pointless. You will gain nothing from this endeavor. It is nothing but wasted time._

"Well, it seems to be pissing you off, so that's good enough for me!"

_Well, you still have to save the poor guy to even succeed, so we will see._

The Stranger was now scared at the voice's last sentence. He could still fail if he did not make a successful operation in time. He had to find Flaky's home quick.

"Okay, look at the sign's. They have their names on the signs. Okay, okay, we got, um, Cuddles, Giggles, Toothy… damn, all these names are childish! It matches their character and everything else in this world." The Stranger drove a few more seconds to notice one more house, a well decorated red house. "There it is, Flaky's house!" The Stranger made a complete stop straight in front of Flaky's yard.

The Stranger turned off the engine and jumped out of the ambulance to reach the back doors. He opened them widely and jumped in to reach Flaky's body. But he stopped to look. He was too scared to pick him up, as he did not see any signs of breathing. Did the Stranger fail to reach Flaky's house in time? Was Flaky dead?

"No… no, we're so close now... come on don't leave me like this when were so-"

The Stranger suddenly notice one large but slow breath coming from Flaky. He was still alive! There was still a chance! The Stranger quickly turned around and started grabbing a large supply of medical equipment and medicine and placed them in his backpack. He picked up the bag and grabbed Flaky once more, getting more quills piercing his left arm. He jumped out and ran to Flaky's front door, busting it open with his left foot and observed the room. He quickly noticed a white sofa, and a small coffee table beneath it. He walked over and placed Flaky on the sofa, and dropped his bag on the table to empty out its contents.

The Stranger was breathing fast. He had to act now if he was going to save Flaky's life. He grabbed a few pieces of medical equipment and stood over Flaky.

"Oh dear Lord, I sure hope I know how to do this."

The Stranger then leaned over Flaky's body and began the operation.


	6. Ch 5: Plan for Change

**Chapter 5**

**Plan for Change**

* * *

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock._

The sound of a grandfather clock tracking time was the only thing audible inside the small house. It was naturally silent and peaceful, with no sounds of violence to be heard. Inside the front-end of the house was the living room, which was nicely arranged with furniture. There was also the sleeping body of the Stranger, sitting down and leaning his back against a white sofa, and had dry blood and dirt all over his grey fur, along with the darkness of ashes. As he laid and slept against the sofa, he started to twitch and mumble to himself. As he continued to mumble, his twitching movements began to get worse, and started to breathe a little faster. He was having another nightmare.

Inside his head, the Stranger was standing in the middle of complete darkness once again. Like his first vision, there was no sign of life, nor anything that could emit light. Suddenly, a grey fog started to form, and surrounded the Stranger at his place. The Stranger looked around as the fog began to move in to him, and focused his hearing as he believed he could hear the whispers from someone.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

The whispers began to rise in volume, and were beginning to move closer onto the Stranger.

"Are you here to help me? What do you want? You need to speak up."

_What the hell do you think you're doing, Stranger?!_

It was the voice of the mad man. He was speaking to him through his dream. "What do you think I'm doing?"

_What you're doing is messing with the rules. Stranger, you have no relation to these people and have no need to interfere with their lives. They have their rules that they must live by and your actions are breaking them._

"Well I don't give two-shits about your rules. They should not have to live by your sick, twisted and fucked up rules! In fact, they should not have to do anything you have to say. So if it means that I must go in to help them, then I'll do it."

_Well, look what you have done, Stranger. When you tried to help them, you got them all killed. I bet even that red porcupine died because of your actions. You should have left them Stranger. You should ignore the entire situation and never attempt to save them again._

"Why are you so mad about what I am doing? Why is my attempt of helping others getting you so pissed off?"

_Because this is my world and I want it to work the way I want it to. You're making my work harder when I try to get these people to follow the rules of this world whenever you go off to help them. Just stop doing it and go back to your original life as the loner that you always were and will always be._

The Stranger stood still, looking down in thought. Then he looked back up with a determined look on his face. "No…"

_What? What did you say to me?!_

"No, I don't have to live by that life. You don't control me. I have my own awareness, I have my own life, and I can do whatever I damn well please. You can't stop me."

_Stranger, stop and think who you're fighting with here. I am an almighty god! I created this world and I control everything that happens. I can kill you right now if I wanted to, and destroy this entire world with a push of a button. You're trying to play a dangerous game here, Stranger, and I assure you that you can't win!_

"Well then, we will just have to wait and see then, won't we?"

The voice went silent for a bit, then returned with a sound of anger.

_Okay_,_ Stranger, fine. If you want to be this way, then I'll play this game with you. I'll bet it will be fun until the end. But remember Stranger, for you to even achieve your goal, to even have the slightest glimpse of obtaining victory, you still have to save these people, every single one, a task that I know you will never succeed. Oh, and, before I let you go, let me show you what I can do. Watch at what I can create and what you'll be up against. And I can't wait to get started._

As the voice left the Stranger, the fog disappeared, and revealed an army of generic Tree Friends, all of them wielding sharp knives and dawning a face of evil. The Stranger looked around and saw that there was hundreds of them, moving slowly onto his position. The Stranger had no one to assist him, so the only thing he could do is brace himself for a fight, and went into a defensive position.

"Alright then, assholes, let's go!"

As the Stranger ran straight towards the army of evil Tree Friends, they all made a battle cry and charged into the Stranger, swinging their knives onto him.

* * *

_DING, DING, DING!_

The Stranger instantly woke up from the sound of the grandfather clock activating its alarm. The sound shook his entire body after waking up from another terrible vision. The Stranger was breathing at a fast pace, trying to calm down after the sudden wake-up call.

The Stranger looked over and noticed the clock, which read 9:00. Looking outside, he knew that it was in the morning. The Stranger then slowly lowered his body and calmed down his breathing, seeing that he was still alive and safe. A sudden shock of pain then hit him on his right side, and reached over to hold on to it. He looked at his furry grey body to see black ash and large amounts of dry blood covering his body, and noticed the dark bruises on his leg and side. He began to recall yesterday's events at the tower, and how he barely escaped with his life. He was lucky to be alive.

A pain now appeared on his left arm, and he looked over to notice a large number of red quills covering his entire forearm. The spikes were slightly deep into the skin, and small trails of blood were running down his arm. He was confused at first, wondering where he could have obtained these quills. "Damn, how the hell did I get this on me?" It only took a few seconds when it finally hit him.

"Flaky!"

The Stranger quickly got up and turned around to look at the sofa he was leaning against. But when he observed the white sofa, there was nothing. No blood, no dirt, no Flaky. There was no indication that Flaky was there hurt last night. The Stranger did not want to accept it, but he made a final and dreadful conclusion: Flaky had died and is now revived outside in the world. He failed to save him. Even through all the hard work and determination, he still failed in the end.

Disappointed at yet another failed attempt at saving another person, the Stranger sat back down, and placed his hands on his face. The voice was right. How could he ever save these people? No matter what he tried, no matter how hard he fought, he always failed. He could not even save just one simple person. What was worse was that it was his fault once more. If he just went down the stairs himself, he would not have gotten the people killed by his hands, and rather let them die naturally. He placed false hope into their heads that they could have survived, and he failed to deliver on that promise.

"How? How am I going to do this? If I can't save one person from death, how will I-"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he heard a noise. His eyes widen as he sharply turned his head to look at the ceiling. It was the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. Someone else was in the house with the Stranger. He got up slowly and peeked around the corner of the living room, looking in to see a small kitchen. He waited to see the person to make their appearance. After a couple of seconds waiting anxiously, the Stranger finally got to see a glimpse of the person. It was a red porcupine, walking slowly with a nervous yet happy smile. Could it be?

The Stranger walked around the corner and limped to the kitchen, looking at Flaky with confusion. He then raised his hand to greet him. "Flaky, is that-?"

Flaky greeted the Stranger with a loud scream, jumping back which shook some of his flakes out of his red quills. The Stranger was startled and moved back, confused at what he was screaming at. He looked around sharply trying to find what could have scared him. He then remembered his appearance, which still had the large stains of dry blood, plus the red quills sticking out of his left arm. He must have looked like a serial killer about to kill him.

"Oh, I'm sorry about my appearance here. You see, you and I, we were at a tower, you see, and it fell down due to a large explosion. You ended up getting a large metal pole in your abdomen so I had to pull it out, which left a giant hole, so I had to take you home and patch you up. When I got you home, I placed you in the living room sofa and I went and performed a medical..."

The Stranger stopped speaking as he looked at the body of Flaky. The Stranger noticed that there was no stitches or scars. Flaky was completely clean and walking with no injuries whatsoever. The Stranger felt it was definitely clear enough now to accept the fact that Flaky must have died last night. If there were no more wounds, then he must have died and was revived, receiving an entire new body that was perfectly clean of injuries, and a new mind that had no memories of the past.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." The Stranger slowly walked backwards, looking down at the floor. "You probably don't remember any of this do you? You've probably forgot all of it, haven't you? All of this must sound like complete nonsense to you, isn't it?""

The Stranger observed Flaky for a short time, and noticed that he pointed to his abdomen and nodded his head. The Stranger stopped moving backwards and walked forward once more.

"Wait... Do you remember last night?" The Stranger asked Flaky, curious at what he was just seeing, in which he received a nod. The Stranger went into shock, amazed at what he was just seeing.

"So you remember the tower falling down and killing everyone?"

Flaky nodded.

"And you remember me running with you down the tower and getting the metal pole out of your abdomen?"

Flaky nodded again.

"And you remember me taking you home and patching you up? Everything?!"

Flaky quickly nodded once more.

The Stranger stood confused, thinking about the situation. Flaky must have survived the operation last night. What's even more surprising is that he remembered the entire situation. Everything, from seeing the Stranger save him, to watching other people die in front of his eyes. This surprised, confused, and sent the Stranger into a mad frenzy of thinking.

He then looked back down at his body and remembered his dreadful appearance. He made a nervous chuckle and looked up to Flaky. "Hey, um, you don't suppose it would be okay that-"

Flaky pointed straight upstairs, and pointed his finger to the left and made a '1', signaling it was on the first left upstairs. The Stranger nodded, grabbed his backpack with the remaining medical supplies, and limped upstairs to the bathroom. Seeing that it was indeed on the first left, he entered and noticed that it was a decent size bathroom. There was a shower with a bathtub at the end, a sink with a medicine cabinet above it, and other bathroom essentials. It was also slightly feminine in style, initially confusing the Stranger, but he pushed that thought aside.

He dropped his backpack on the side and stood over the sink, turning the water on to a warm temperature and taking his left arm forward over the sink. He looked at each and every quill that was stuck to his arm, and noticed some were deep into the flesh of his skin. He took a few deep breaths, and took the time to pull each and every one of them out. The pain was intense, making him cringe in pain and sending a sharp shock across his entire body as he pulled each one out. With every sharp red quill he pulled out, blood would run down in small streams, dripping into the sink which was now turning the water crimson red. He finally made it to the last quill, which was the deepest of the rest, and took a large force to pull it out, spitting out little amounts of blood.

The Stranger breathed deeply now that he removed the last quill, but decided to look at it curiously. It was not like any ordinary porcupine quill from the real world. This quill was incredibly sharp, almost like the head of a metal spear, and was large and thick in size. This could practically be used as a tool, or even a weapon if properly handled. Thinking about the idea, the Stranger placed the lone quill inside the backpack after washing the blood off in the sink, and laid it nicely inside.

"I might find a use for that later."

Now with the quills gone, he got inside the shower and turned it on to an incredibly hot temperature. As the water ran down his body, he could only sigh in relieve. He did not have a decent shower since the day he got here in this world. He was going to savor every drop of water that fell on his body as he can, even when he was trying to scrub the dirt and blood off his body. As he washed his fur, thoughts ran through his head.

"How did he remember last night? Is it because he survived? It's just confusing but an amazing discovery. Maybe I can make this work somehow. But I need more information and a better idea. I need some kind of theory that I can test to prove that it could really be true. If it is, I may have something important to work with. Something that could change everything. And something that could take me home."

After taking a good amount time in the hot shower, he turned it off and shook off some of the water, his fur now getting fluffy and clean. As he took a towel hanging on a rack and started to dry his fur, he felt something between his legs, and looked down to observe what was there.

"Oh, you guys do exist in this world. That's nice to know." The Stranger then looked up and started to observe around the area, despite no one being in the room. "If anyone asks, it's because it is cold. That's exactly it. Nothing else is wrong. Just cold."

After drying off quickly, the Stranger went back into his backpack to pull out the remaining medical bandages and a small bottle of disinfectant from last night, and applied them to his wounds on his left arm, protecting the open holes from the outside to keep it clean and preventing it from obtaining an infection.

Now feeling completely rejuvenated, he grabbed his backpack and headed for the door. But before he exited the bathroom, he looked over to see a large mirror that was covered with steam. He examined the mirror covered in condensation closely, and watched as he could point out what he believed was the silhouette of a human. It was a black and shadowy outline, but he swore that it was a indeed human. He walked over to the mirror and stared at it shortly, wondering that it was really him in the mirror. The Stranger then raised his right hand and wiped the condensation off the mirror to see the human behind it. But what he saw was only a reflection of himself. And not his human self, but still the same grey squirrel that he always was from the beginning when he entered this world. He looked at his reflection sadly, knowing that this is how he looks like, and how he may look like this maybe for years, or even for an eternity. He tried to remember what his original body even looked like, and wonder if he will ever live in it again.

He rested his head against the mirror, and shed a few tears. "I want to go home…"

* * *

The Stranger exited the bathroom after a good time of washing up and staying in his thoughts, and closed the door behind him. As he closed the door, he could hear Flaky talking to someone. Curious about who it could be, the Stranger walked down the stairs to see who it was. He noticed that Flaky was on the telephone, speaking to another Tree Friend that he did not know. Flaky, like the other Tree Friends, spoke in the gibberish language in which he could not speak nor understand, but he had to work with it.

Flaky finally hanged up the phone, and the Stranger walked into the kitchen. "Who was that, Flaky?"

Flaky turned to the Stranger and answered with a gibberish answer. The Stranger shook his head and looked down in disbelief. "Flaky, I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're trying to say. You see, I can't-"

Flaky placed his right index finger to his chin and began to think of something. He looked over to see a flower vase with a couple of petunia flowers, and went over to pull one out. Flaky then placed the flower over his head, and looked at the Stranger, pointing at the flower.

"A petunia...? A flower on the person's head…" The Stranger tried to think what Flaky was trying to point out. He then remembered someone: the blue skunk from the café and the tower, who also had a flower on her head. "Wait, were you talking to the blue skunk?" Flaky nodded as he placed the petunia back into the vase. "Is her name also Petunia?" Flaky smiled and nodded his head once more. "So you were talking to Petunia, the blue skunk. Did she call you?" Flaky nodded, but had a confused look on his face. "But she died last night, right? You saw it, right?" Flaky nodded once more, looking more confused and shocked as the Stranger discussed the situation.

The Stranger went over to the dining table in the center of the kitchen and sat in the chair at the back of the table. He rested his head on his right hand, and looked at Flaky. "Did she happen to remember anything last night at the tower? Anything at all?" Flaky shook his head, getting more confused about what just happened. He just got a call from someone beyond the grave. Petunia died last night but was now speaking to him, completely fine and alive. How was this even possible?

The Stranger was also confused but was also getting ideas. Flaky lived through and survived the situation, and was able to remember the events last night. Petunia died and forgot about the entire situation, including actually being at the tower and even being there with Flaky. The Stranger was thinking constantly about the new information he was receiving, and was thinking about everything he knew of right now and what to make of it.

His thoughts were interrupted as Flaky cleared his throat. The Stranger looked up to see Flaky pointing at him, and made a gesture with his hands and mouth as if he were eating something invisible.

"Are you asking if I want to eat?" Flaky nodded and walked over to the counter to pull out a couple of eggs. The Stranger raised his hands and was shaking his head."Oh, Flaky, I can't accept that. I'm really just some random person who technically is intruding your house right now. I could not possibly ask any-" Flaky smiled as he shook his head, and decided to go ahead and cook the eggs anyway. The Stranger couldn't help but smile at how friendly this gentleman was, despite how feminine he acted.

Flaky cooked the eggs to a nice scrambled state, and placed a napkin, some silverware, and a glass of water for the Stranger and himself. He then sat down in a chair opposite the Stranger and gestured to him that he should eat. The Stranger smiled at Flaky, and grabbed the utensils firmly, looking at the eggs with envy.

_Okay, I know you did not eat much in such a long time, but take this slowly. This nice gentleman here is going to expect you to be a nice and respectful guest that appreciates the work he is doing for you. Eat calmly and-_

The Stranger ignored his own advice and decided to devour the eggs quickly. After weeks of never eating real food, only eating old cans of dry food at the rarest of occasions, this was practically the first time the Stranger has ever eaten. He did not leave one piece of egg when he was done, and placed the plate back on the table before drinking the entire glass of water in one go, not leaving a single drop of liquid. After consuming every bit of food on his side in only a matter of seconds, he shyly looked over at Flaky, who was staring at him in shock and confusion.

The Stranger's face turned red a little, and placed all the silverware back into a calm and orderly fashion before wiping his face with the napkin. "Sorry, I did not exactly eat much in a couple of days." The Stranger said with a small chuckle, which Flaky gave a chuckle back.

The Stranger took his dishes and went to the sink to wash them, and turned over to look at Flaky. "You don't happen to have a small scrap of paper and a pen, do you?" Flaky nodded and pointed at a nearby drawer, which the Stranger walked over to find a small notepad and blue pen. He took both out and closed the drawer, and walked over to the sofa in the living room. He sat down on the sofa cushions, and started having thoughts in his head. What he was thinking had to be taken seriously, and had to get as much information out of it.

"Okay man, take this slowly. What do I know and what can I do..?"

* * *

_** Facts**:_

_I came into this world after everyone else, and I am not affected by any of the rules or settings placed in this world, including the ability to __resurrect_

_Everyone here is actually another human being trapped inside the bodies of virtual animals_

_Everyone (besides me) lacks self-awareness of their environment, and do not know or will believe that this is a virtual world in their current state of mind_

_Anyone who is placed in any situation will die in the next 24-hours in some way if no one intervenes_

_This entire world was created and is currently being run by an asshole._

_No one remembers anything after their deaths; their memories are wiped clean after death and placed into a reset state._

_Everyone (except for me) is healed completely after 24-hours; any injuries sustained will be wiped away_

_People may be given a random occupation and be placed in a random situation each day, in which they must die in that situation._

_The mad man has taken away many of the people's original human traits, and are now exaggerated or replaced with new traits, including the inability to speak clear English and some areas of common sense._

_I am the only one who currently knows the truth of this world, how it works, and can actually speak to the mad man._

_**Theory**: _

_When a person is placed into any situation, the first rule that everyone must follow is to die in that situation. It is an unavoidable rule as, without self-awareness, they cannot predict the occurrence of anything bad happening, or have enough level of intelligence to save themselves from the situation. When they do die, they stay dead for the remainder of the day and are reborn the next day with a completely cleaned mind, having no memory of yesterday. However, if a person were to somehow survive the event, they will live for the rest of the day and retain any memories gained that same day. This slowly gives them more intelligence and helps them earn self-awareness, possibly to levels that they could support themselves as long as they survive. If they die, however, they will be sent back to day one, forgetting everything. And since every person here lacks the ability to avoid death since they have no self-awareness currently, the only thing that could save them is an outside variable that already has self-awareness, and use that ability to save others. _

**_Plan:_**

_In this situation, I am the outside variable, and, with some time, I could possibly help everyone regain awareness slowly if I can successfully save them. If every unique person within this world can live long enough without dying, and achieve a level of self-awareness that they could accept the truth that this world is not real, the world could possibly break and/ or the mad man will finally give up on the fact that his 'toys' will no longer be affected by his rules, and send everyone, including me, home. With enough time, skill, and, most importantly, determination, I can beat this son of a bitch at his own game, and finally escape this world._

* * *

The Stranger wrote down the last few sentences with questionable thought. Even if it were true, could he actually save them all? And, if they did survive, would they truly earn self-awareness and believe in the Stranger? The voice was not entirely wrong that it would be a task that was nearly impossible to complete. With the fact that a god controls this world, anything can happen, and it could throw the Stranger off track. Still, right now, this is the only plan the Stranger has, the only thing the Stranger can actually work with, and needs a little bit more evidence to prove its accuracy and possibility of success. If he wanted it to prove it, he had to go back to Happy Tree Town and save another Tree Friend from danger. He had to get back out there and continue the fight. If he can do it, and if the theory is true, he may have something to fight for, and perhaps something that could get him home. If he can get everyone to break the rule of dying everyday, and become self-aware enough, he might be able to break the structure of the world, and he could get himself, and possibly the others, back home. It was his only shot.

He looked behind him to see Flaky, who was now cleaning his set of dishes. The Stranger was thinking: should I tell him now, or should I wait? The Stranger did not want to scare Flaky with such information yet, who already appeared to be nervous after having a surprise call from Petunia, so he decided against telling him, at least for now. If he wanted to tell him the truth, he needed a little bit more proof to make it sound less crazy and more believable, and let Flaky live a little while longer to build up more awareness. He could only hope, though, that it would work, and that Flaky would believe him.

He ripped the note out of the notepad, folded it multiple times, and stuffed it into his fur pocket. He got up slowly, and walked back into the kitchen, trying to think what to say to Flaky. "Hey, Flaky, can I speak to you for a little bit? It's kind of important."

Flaky stopped cleaning the dishes and walked over to the Stranger, having a confused look on his face.

"Okay, Flaky, I know you've done a lot for me already, you know feeding me and letting me use your shower, which I kindly appreciate and thank you for it very much, but there is something important I need you to do for me." This only confused Flaky more, but was a little intrigued by what the Stranger wanted. "Flaky, I am going to go out for about a day's time. There is something important, something big I need to do, and what I need you to do for me is stay here. I'm going to walk out for a short time, but I need you to lock all the doors, close all the windows, stay away from sharp objects, stay here inside the house, and do not open the door unless it is me. I need you safe just for a little while longer. If everything works out fine and the way they are suppose to, then there is going to be some changes, big changes that will benefit all of us. Just stay safe here inside this house for one more day, and I'll reveal everything tomorrow. Can you trust me on this?"

Flaky took a long time thinking about what the Stranger was asking, looking down in confusion. I let this person in my house, use my shower, and eat my food, and is now telling me what I am suppose to do? This is just some complete stranger that I don't know, so should I even bother listening to him?

But, surprisingly to the Stranger, Flaky nodded and accepted the Stranger's instructions. The Stranger did not believe this at first, that someone else was actually listening to him. Someone is trusting the Stranger with what he is saying. He did not understand it. Maybe it's because he saved him from death and was doing this as a way of saying thanks, or maybe it's because he's always nervous and scared of something all the time. Or perhaps he really does trust the Stranger, and is willing to listen to him. Whatever the reason, the Stranger was glad that Flaky was agreeing with what he is asking for.

"Thanks Flaky. Just stay safe and I'll be back tomorrow. Trust me, good things are about to happen. I promise." The Stranger smiled at Flaky, who gave a nervous but happy smile back. The Stranger then picked up his backpack, waved goodbye, and prepared to walk out the door.

As the Stranger made his way to the door, he happened to notice a cabinet that had a picture of Flaky inside. The Stranger was curious and observed it closely, and saw that Flaky was dressed in a soccer uniform with a group of other Tree Friends.

"Oh, cool, seems that Flaky here was part of the-"

_Happy Tree Town High's Women's Soccer Team_

The Stranger's eyes widen greatly. As he stared at that one word _'Women's'_ in the title, he could only get strange thoughts in his head. He looked over at Flaky for a short time, then turned back to the photo. After looking at the photo a second time, he looked back at Flaky, then to the photo, back to Flaky, back to the photo, and finally to Flaky one last time. The Stranger scratched the back of his head wondering about what he is just seeing.

_Maybe it's the lack of eyelashes or… something different, I don't know. If she did not have all that fur on her, I could probably have known from the beginning._

The Stranger then stopped and tried to make out what he was just thinking about.

_That came out wrong, didn't it?_

The Stranger shook the thought out of his head, and waved goodbye with a smile to Flaky, who responded with a friendly and audible "Bye." The Stranger opened the door to let the sunlight rest on his body, and slowly limped out the door to do one more job.


	7. Ch 6: Start the Fight

**Chapter 6**

**Start the Fight**

* * *

The Stranger closed the door behind him as he entered the front yard of Flaky's beautifully decorated red house. Turning around, his face met the summer morning sun, warming his grey fur body, which was now freshly clean after the warm shower a short few minutes ago. The Stranger took a deep breath and smelled the air, getting the scent of an amazing summer day.

Looking around, he noticed the ambulance he stole (which haunted him knowing that he actually carjacked someone) was now gone, and the tire tracks that destroyed the yard disappeared. The Stranger assumed that objects that are destroyed or taken out of place might also be repaired or replaced after the reset, making the appearance that nothing occurred. This became more obvious when the Stranger looked towards the horizon and noticed the tower that collapsed was now standing strong once more. The world was once again completely cleaned of any damage.

The Stranger opened his ears to hear the sounds of birds chirping in the trees, and felt the small but cool breeze moving through the air, rustling the leaves in the trees. It was undeniably another peaceful day in Happy Tree Town.

"Shit is about to get real…"

The Stranger shook his head in disbelief. All of this beautiful ambiance is nothing but a lie, covering the fact that death can occur around any corner, and will. The Stranger must act now to look for any suspicious or obvious situations that will end with the death of any character. There was no time to waste.

Limping to the sidewalk, his leg and side still sore from the fall in the tower but was beginning to heal slowly, the Stranger turned left and slowly moved his way to the city. As he made his short journey to the city, thoughts ran through his mind.

"How am I going to do this? With my current injuries, there is going to be a lot of limitations and restrictions in what I can do. And what if I can't find a situation that I can work with? And what if the situation I try to get into is too dangerous and I get even more injured, or possibly die?! The longer I wait, the more dangerous this job is going to be. I got one shot at trying to find out if this theory and plan can actually go through, and it's not going to be easy." The Stranger shook his head, and placed a determined look on his face. "I have to succeed. If I want to go home, I need to do everything I can to save these people. I just need to find one situation I can face."

The Stranger made it to a small hill on the sidewalk that was overlooking the city. He could see plenty of movement down on the city, but was having a difficult time trying to pinpoint a situation that could result in serious injury or death of any character. He needed a better viewpoint.

"Damn, I'm not going to get anything done if I can't clearly see shit happen. Okay, I need a better vantage point. Something that can give me a clear view of the city while also staying save from any danger on the ground." The Stranger looked around the sidewalk, and noticed across from his side a large tree in a small park that gave a much higher view point of the city. "That should do it."

The Stranger, after making sure the road was clear, limped across the asphalt and made it to the tree. He looked at the tall and majestic tree, and stood in admiration at its size. He then stood in confusion and annoyance.

"While this is all fine and dandy, how the hell am I going to get up there?"

The Stranger began making multiple plans on how to get up the tree. "Well, if I can find a ladder, I could make it to one of the branches and climb from there. I could also try to find multiple solid objects and stack them up one by one until I reach the top. God damn it, this is not going to be easy."

As the Stranger ran these thoughts through his head as he rubbed his chin with his hand, he looked below him to notice his grey squirrel paws and the tail that stood out from behind him. The Stranger looked down, shook his head, and stood in anger.

"Son of a bitch. Why the hell do I keep forgetting I'm a damn squirrel?"

The Stranger went and grabbed onto the bark of the tree with both his hands, and slowly pulled himself up the tree. Initially, he was shaking and was having a hard time trying to climb. But once he got his back feet onto the bark and steadied himself, he was able to move up with ease.

"Huh, so this is what it's like climbing a tree like a squirrel… I really don't know why I'm saying that or giving a shit about it. I definitely need to get out more."

After a few seconds of climbing, the Stranger made it to the top of the tree, and steadied himself on the highest branch he could reach. His body shook as the branch moved, bringing him to his hands and knees as he got a glimpse of the ground below him. His breathing picked up in pace as he saw the bottom.

"Oh shit! How do they handle this?!"

The Stranger started to move slowly across the branch and reached the end, and sat down while balancing on the branch. The view he received was much better than the tiny hillside from the sidewalk. From his point of view, he could clearly see more Tree Friends going about their day, and could point a substantial number of situations occurring. While the number was high, he had to narrow down his choices to only those he could possibly succeed in attempting.

"Okay, I got plenty of situations to work, but only a few that I can actually attempt. Let's see what we got…"

The Stranger leaned in closer, and slowly looked from left to right to get a good examination of the city.

"Alright, we got, um… two, yeah, two green raccoons down below between an alley. Those bastards are always doing something criminal, aren't they? Well, what are they doing now…? They seem to be eyeballing a light-greenish squirrel who… my God, he's a jittering bastard, isn't he? Whatever he's taking, it must be the good stuff. That or it's a sugar high, both bad either way. From this standpoint, those green raccoons are probably going to sell him something, which will end up getting someone killed. Well it may be easy to just go up and say stop, seeing two perfectly strong raccoons who look like they came straight from the mob going against an injured man may not be the brightest move. I guess that situation is out."

"Okay, what else do we have…? Well, there appears to be a blind mole being given the position of a doctor running a blood drive. Yeah, that seems logically and perfectly safe. Nothing wrong with that AT ALL. Anyway, he seems to be handling those needles pretty dangerously. Last thing I need though is a needle stuck in my veins either filling me with some internal material from a seat or someone else's blood being transfuse into my system giving me some kind of disease and dying slowly. I don't think I can move fast enough yet to get out of the way if he swings that thing, so that situation is crossed out."

The Stranger shook his head, sighing in agitation. "So many situations happening right now, many of which are either too hard for me right now because of my sore leg and side or just something I'm not ready for. People are going to die right now because I really can't do anything. I'm just going to have to wait a bit and hope a situation will pop up that I can actually work with."

The Stranger started to lie down on the branch, and got comfortable as he was forced to watch situations be carried out. Each situation he observed was indeed correct, and was now ending with the results of screaming and death. The Stranger wanted to help, but just could not yet. "Well fuck, I just had to fall, didn't I? There better be something that I can help with soon."

* * *

The sun was now setting on the horizon, letting out bright rays that shown through the leaves of the trees. The Stranger laid agitated as he kept trying to watch for a situation of any kind that he could possibly help with without the fear of getting injured or die in. His plan of action in this involved going in to fight, and yet he was just sitting down and watching death happen. It did not affect him negatively as before, but it still hurt to watch these people die. If he was not injured, he could have saved dozens today.

The sun continued to move into the horizon, getting darker and darker. "Great! I promised to get shit done and what did I do? I sat on my ass because I can't do anything. Maybe that mad man is right. Maybe I…"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he looked over to his right and noticed something in the park. As he looked in that direction, he could pinpoint two character walking into the park. Upon closer inspection, he was able to recognize the characters: it was Petunia, the blue skunk with the flower on her head, and the pink chipmunk with a red bow on her head. They were carrying what appeared to be a small tea party set, and were now setting it up in the park. They seemed pretty happy.

"A tea party set… I can't really tell anything bad about that. I mean, if it was like, I don't know, poisoned, then I guess it would be suspicious enough. But I don't think that will be the case here. Maybe some situations do not end with… wait a minute."

The Stranger leaned in closer as he could notice a third character walking from the horizon. Examining the character, it appeared to be a bear with a 70's afro and a disco attire, and was dancing as he moved across the ground. The Stranger did not make anything of the situation until he noticed the disco-dancing bear had his eyes on the two ladies, and was making his way towards them.

"Well shit, I can already tell it's going to end bad here. And since it's just some dancing prick, I think I can work with this. I got to move now."

The Stranger slowly turned around and grabbed onto the bark of the tree, and made his way down the tree. After a slow and steady climb down, he landed on his two feet on the soft grassy ground. Stretching his body after laying in a tree for so long, he slowly limped over to the park, looking over towards the city to see multiple situations that he ignored to prevent due to his injuries. He shook his head, but at least now there was something that he could possibly stop.

He made it towards the park, and was in close proximity of the ladies sitting by the small table they brought with them. What was also there was the disco-dancing bear trying to attract the attention of the two girls, and was now taking the pink chipmunk to make her dance. The Stranger crouched and hid behind a small bush, and looked around about how the situation could turn out.

"Okay, that dancing bear is going to be involved in some way for the reasons of their deaths. Let's see… that tea pot may be-"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he waited too long for an observation, and saw that the dancing bear flung the pink chipmunk to the table, making her head on the hot teapot, which entered her head and the hot tea inside was melting her brain. She was screaming in pain, and yet the dancing bear did not react negatively.

The Stranger's eyes widen. "Shit! Come on man, move! What else is there?!" The Stranger moved faster and looked around to notice a lone electric fence, currently active and defending nothing at all. "Why the fuck would they put up an electric fence in the middle of the park?!" The Stranger looked over at the three characters (one now presumed dead) and saw that the bear was now eyeballing Petunia. It was clear: the fence will kill her if she hits it. He had to turn it off now.

"Okay, time to move!" The Stranger got up and limped fast to the electric fence. Standing close by, he looked up and down the fence to look for some kind of power box that kept the fence active. "Come on, where the hell did they place it?!" The Stranger then looked to his far right and saw some kind of box with a yellow warning symbol on it. "There!"

The Stranger moved fast and stood in front of the red power box, making sure that it was the right one, which he assumed was. The Stranger then quickly looked behind him to see that the dancing bear was now close to Petunia. Any second now, he would somehow push her and send her flying, making her hit the electric fence and die.

The Stranger turned back and opened the power box. Instead of just a simple lever, there was multiple buttons, dials and levers that he had no idea what they were connected to. "What the fuck?! What is all of this doing here? Why is there no label?! It's just a single-"

The Stranger heard a scream, and noticed that Petunia got hit by the bear, and was now flying towards the fence. There was no time to think now. The Stranger must act now.

"Shit! Fine, let's go with this one!" The Stranger went instantly to a single lever, cringing at the thought that it could be the wrong one. He flipped it to the 'Off' position, and closed his eyes as he heard the sound of something hitting the fence, sending a vibration across the fence. The Stranger did not want to look up and see a fried squirrel down the other end of the fence, making him feel like he failed once more.

But the Stranger slowly turned around, opened his eyes, and noticed that Petunia was not electrocuted. Instead, she only hit the fence with her body, and only received minor bruising as she rubbed her head from the collision. The Stranger stood in shock: another Tree Friend had survived a situation thanks to him.

The Stranger limped over to Petunia and knelled to her level, looking at her with a worried face. "Ma'am, are you alright? Do you have any serious injuries?" Petunia looked at the Stranger and shook her head, acknowledging to the Stranger that she was fine.

The Stranger stood up and reached his left hand to Petunia, which she grabbed and was brought up to her feet. As she got up and rubbed her head, she looked over to notice that the disco-dancing bear was still dancing, not caring that he had almost killed a second innocent person. Her face suddenly turned red, and her emotions was filled with rage. Before she moved forward to deal with the bear, the Stranger grabbed her and looked at her seriously.

"Don't worry, let me handle this."

Petunia nodded her head and let the Stranger moved towards the dancing bear. He stood a good distance away from the bear to making sure he was not hit. The Stranger stood for a short time, hoping that the bear would stop dancing. He did not.

"Hey, asshole! Stop dancing and look at me!"

The Stranger yelled at the bear, making him stop and look at the Stranger with a confused look while taking fast breaths from the extended period of dancing. The Stranger moved real close to the bears face, and stared straight at him, getting the bear slightly scared about what was going to happen. The Stranger then used his right fist and punched the bear straight in the groin area, which sent him straight to the ground and whimpering in pain.

The Stranger stood over the bear angrily. "Dude, stop being a total dick and leave these women alone! If they did not want to dance with you in the first place, why in the actual fuck do you think they would want to do it if you forced them to? That's just harassment there, you dick!" The Stranger then leaned over and grabbed the bear, bringing him off the ground and brought him to his face. "Listen here, asshole! If I see you messing with these women again, trust me, there won't be anything left of you when I'm done. Now crawl back home you prick!"

The Stranger threw the bear away from him, and watched him crawl slowly away in agitation that he was beaten up by some random stranger. The Stranger then heard crying, and turned around to see Petunia crying over the dead body of the pink chipmunk. The Stranger felt sad that he was too slow and could not save both, but at least he got one to live.

He limped over to Petunia, and crouched down next to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and look at her with a sad but calm face, and spoke softly. "I'm sorry about what happen to her, Petunia. I wish I was able to get to you both in time and stop him." Petunia looked over at the Stranger, who was crying slowly, and hugged the Stranger closely and tried to thank him for saving her.

The Stranger looked at Petunia closely. "Don't worry now, Petunia, it is over now. You are safe and nothing bad is going to happen." Petunia nodded her head and moved over a short distance. "Listen, I need you to go home now and stay there for the rest of the day. You do not need to stay here. I will work with her body here and make sure she is taken somewhere secure and peaceful." Petunia got up, along with the Stranger, and nodded her head as she looked down. She then turned around and slowly walked off back home, not looking back.

The Stranger watched her walk away, making sure she was far enough away from him, and looked back at the dead body of the pink chipmunk. "We just keep meeting up with each other in the wrong times, don't we?" The Stranger bent over and grabbed her body, and placed her over his arms, without the fear this time of getting quills stuck into his arm. He look around to see a small tree that was casting a large, dark shadow, and decided to place her body gently below it.

After making sure her body was rested gently, he placed his backpack on the ground and reached for some medical supplies. Noticing that the teapot was still jammed into her head, the Stranger surgically removed it, and placed medical bandages over the wound. While she may be dead, she did not have to look it.

Cleaning up the body of any dirt and blood, the Stranger picked up his backpack and stood up, observing the dead body, which was now free of any visible signs of blood. The Stranger lowered his head in sadness.

"I'm sorry I could not save both of you. It was my full plan to protect both of you, but I was just too slow. I will not falter a second time, though, I promise." The Stranger then looked up, and placed a sick thought in his head. "You know, this sounds undeniably cruel, but I think I can work with this. With you dead and Petunia alive, you won't remember this, but Petunia will, or at least should. This could work…"

The Stranger pondered the idea, and decided that, despite how sick it was at the time, decided to go with it. After saying a final message to the dead pink chipmunk, the Stranger walked off through the park, and went into the direction that Petunia went. Going only a short distance, he was able to pick out a tree acting as a house, and watched Petunia enter sadly. The Stranger looked around to find a bush across from the house, and hid inside, giving his full attention at the door of the house.

"This is in no way stalking. This is just for science to prove a theory. Completely different cause."

The Stranger then closed his eyes as the sun set in the horizon, and fell asleep.

* * *

The sun appeared once more from the eastern horizon, and shown through the leaves in the trees and the buildings of Happy Tree Town. The light woke the Stranger from his nap, who felt slightly uncomfortable sleeping in a bush and laying in an awkward position. He moved out of the bush slowly, and stretched his body to get his muscles and bones back in place. He let out a big yawn, and rubbed his eyes to get a clearer view of his position.

He then turned around to notice Petunia's house, and remembered his initial plan to watch out for Petunia. He watched closely until he noticed the door of Petunia's house was opening, and went straight behind the bush again to hide. He leaned over to see Petunia, who seemed somewhat sad but was still happy to live another day. The Stranger was glad to see her still standing, and could tell from her expression that she still remembered the situation. The theory he made was now being proven every moment he watched.

The Stranger then watched Petunia walked out of her house, closing the door behind her, and went down the sidewalk to reach a different location. Curious about her next move, the Stranger decided to follow Petunia from the other side of the road and made sure to not be spotted. Walking for only a few minutes, the Stranger noticed that Petunia was entering the grocery store that the Stranger was a few days ago. While he stood and watched Petunia enter the store, he noticed an even more important character entering the store behind her: the pink chipmunk that died yesterday. The Stranger made a new plan: get the two to meet and watch their reaction.

Accepting his plan, the Stranger jogged across the road, and quickly entered the store. He watched Petunia go left of the store and the pink chipmunk go straight. The Stranger decided to stay behind the chipmunk for the majority of the time, and walked between the aisles of the store. He had to hide behind people and walls multiple times to not get caught; the idea of getting the two together had to be perfect. He needed to act like he had no idea about the situation and be as confused as Petunia when they meet.

After a few minutes a following, the situation was perfect. Both the pink chipmunk and Petunia were in the same aisle. All the Stranger had to do was get Petunia to notice the chipmunk, and watch the situation play out. The Stranger walked by the chipmunk, who was at one end of the aisle, and went to the opposite end, where Petunia was waiting. The Stranger raised his hand to get Petunia's attention.

"Hey Petunia. How are you holding up from yesterday?"

Petunia turned around to answer the Stranger's question, but her mouth was left open as her eyes widen to what she saw behind the Stranger. Just a short distance away from her was her friend, the pink chipmunk, who she saw die in front of her eyes. She stood and shock and was shaking not believing what she was seeing.

The Stranger made a fake confused look. "What's wrong?" The Stranger then turned around to notice the pink chipmunk, and continued to make his fake confused face. "Wait a minute, is that her?! The girl from yesterday that died? How is she here?!" The Stranger said these question out loud next to Petunia to make her more confused and be placed in shock, exactly what the Stranger was looking for.

After a few seconds staying in shock, Petunia moved slowly towards the pink chipmunk, and touched her on the shoulder. The pink chipmunk turned around to see Petunia and gave a friendly smile to her, saying 'Hello.' But Petunia did not return the greeting. Instead, she went into a scared frenzy, talking in the gibberish language in a fast pace and questioning the pink chipmunk about how she was alive. The Stranger could notice the pink chipmunk was having a confused look and was shaking her head multiple times as Petunia asked questions. This is what the Stranger needed.

The Stranger then moved between the two girls and raised his hands. "Hey, I do not know how any of this is happening, like you being alive and not knowing what's going on, but whatever it is, it must be something big. If it is okay with you two, can you both please follow me? There is a place I want to discuss this situation and I believe we can work something out." Petunia and the pink chipmunk looked at each other in confusion, wondering if they should listen. This person, however, did seem to have some understanding about what is going on, and both nodded their heads.

"Good, let's get going." The Stranger slowly led the two ladies out of the store, and made his journey to his destination. The Stranger knew exactly where to take the two, and knew who also had to see this. Someone who has already seen a similar situation.

He had to show Flaky.

* * *

After a short walk through town, the two Tree Friends and the Stranger made it to the front door of Flaky's house. Petunia and the pink chipmunk were confused why the Stranger led them here, but trusted him either way.

The Stranger got up to the door and knocked on it three times. "Flaky, it's me! You can let me in!" The Stranger said this, but received only silence. The Stranger knocked again. "Flaky, it's okay, you can open the door now!" The Stranger still received only silence.

The Stranger was beginning to get scared. He left Flaky for an entire day inside the house alone. He began to run a series of bad situations in his head.

"My God, is she… is she dead? Did she get cut open or have something fall on her or trip down the stairs or drown in the bathroom or… oh shit, did I just leave her here to die?! I should never have-"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he heard the sound of locks being opened on the other side of the door. After hearing the final lock open, the door slowly opened to reveal Flaky, who appeared to have no signs of injuries, and was having a nervous but happy smile on her face.

The Stranger, however, was still skeptical. "Flaky… do you… do you still remember me?" Flaky nodded her head. She did survive the time the Stranger was gone. The Stranger sighed in relieve, happy to know she did not die.

The Stranger then moved over to reveal Petunia and the pink chipmunk, which shocked Flaky. "Flaky, these two have discovered something serious. Something I think you can relate to." The Stranger then turned to Petunia and the chipmunk. "You two, I want you to discuss this entire situation about how Petunia here knows you, the chipmunk, about your death, and yet you still deny it. You all talk about this, and I will wait until you are done." They all nodded their heads in confusion, and entered inside the house and went into the living room.

Petunia and the pink chipmunk sat on the white sofa, Flaky sat on a chair near the side of the sofa, and the Stranger stood back against the wall and watched them. The Stranger observed how they were all arguing, completely confused about what was going on. Flaky knew Petunia died at the tower, along with the pink chipmunk, but both denied the claim. Petunia knew the pink chipmunk died at the park yesterday, but she denied that claim as well. They all sat down, trying to convince each other what they knew and what they saw. As the Stranger watched, he nodded his head.

This was it. This is everything he needed to prove it. The ones who survived were slowly earning awareness of their world, and were starting to get confused about it. Everything the Stranger wrote and believed was now proven true. He has something he can work with now. If he can get everyone to be like this and hear the truth, he can finally get home.

After a couple dozen minutes of discussing, the three Tree Friends all got up and waved goodbye, dawning faces of confusion and shock. Flaky led the two ladies out the door and closed it behind them. She then turned around quickly and looked at the Stranger with shock, flailing her arms between the door and at him. She was getting more and more confused, and was now questioning the Stranger if he knew anything.

"Let me think about this. You knew Petunia and the pink chipmunk died at the tower, but they both denied it, right?" Flaky nodded her head fast.

"Okay, and Petunia told you that the pink chipmunk died at a tea party yesterday, but she denied that to, right?" Flaky nodded again, getting a little agitated by what the hell was going on.

The Stranger looked down at his feet. Flaky, with her 'always scared' personality, was quickly getting an understanding of this world faster than anyone else. The Stranger was still reluctant to tell her, as she may not truly believe him. But she has seen the truth twice now. Perhaps it was time to tell her. It was time for her to know the truth.

"Flaky, can you please sit down on the chair? There is something important I promised to tell you." Flaky moved to the chair and slowly sat down, while the Stranger went over to the sofa and sat across from her. He twiddled with his hands, thinking about how to say the truth, and decided just to say it.

"Flaky… this world we all live in… you believe it is real, right?" Flaky was confused by the question, but she nodded her head. "So, trees acting as houses, everyone being a different breed of animal and a random color, the language you speak, that's normal to you, right?" Flaky was starting to get a little worried, confused why the Stranger is asking these questions, and did not move her head to answer his question.

"Is it also normal to come back alive when you die? Is that possible? Is that how it works here?" The Stranger leaned forward and looked at Flaky seriously, who was starting to get a little scared. She ended up shaking her head to his question. "So, why does it happen then? Do you know why?" Flaky shook her head again, this time much more frantic than the last.

The Stranger sat up straight on the sofa, and asked one more question. "So, everything that acts in this world is normal, but it is not normal to come back from the dead, despite you seeing it with your own eyes." Flaky nodded, shivering at what the Stranger was trying to get to.

The Stranger decided it was time to say it. "Well, Flaky, you are right that no one should rise from the dead. But this world being normal to you… well, that's wrong." The Stranger stood up and looked down at Flaky. "Flaky, this world we live in, and everything that happens in it and the way it works, is nothing but a virtual world. This world is a lie…"

The Stranger stood and watched how Flaky was taking the horrific news. This world, in which I have been living in for my entire life, was, from the beginning, a lie? I have been living a lie this entire time? This can't be, it just can't be!

Flaky started to hyperventilate, and was shivering violently. The Stranger went over to her and knelled to her level. "Flaky, please try to calm down. I know this is a lot to take in. I know it sounds like total bullshit. But Flaky, it's true. You've seen it yourself!" The Stranger tried to hold Flaky's hand to calm her, but she rose from the seat quickly and ran from the living room and went upstairs. The Stranger followed behind her and stopped as she entered her room, slamming the door behind her. The Stranger felt terrible seeing this is how Flaky is reacting to it. She must be scared to death, which is the opposite of what the Stranger wanted to do.

The Stranger went up to the door, and tried to speak. "Flaky, please come out! I'm not trying to scare you, Flaky. I'm trying to help you. I want to help you, but I need you to cooperate with me here. I know how to fix this and how to save you and everyone else! Please, Flaky, don't let me work on this alone here!" The Stranger stood by the door, waiting anxiously for a response. He waited for many minutes, worried that Flaky was not going to trust him, and believe, like everyone else, that the words he was saying was nothing but madness. The Stranger looked down in disbelief, and started to walk away.

He then heard the sound of a door opening, and looked behind him to see Flaky coming out of her room, shaking nervously and dawning a scared look on her face. The Stranger walked over to her and spoke softly.

"Flaky, I know it sounds awful, believe me, I think it is too, but it is the truth. You've seen it. You remembered Petunia at the tower but she did not remember you. And you saw Petunia knew the death of that pink chipmunk, but she denied it. Flaky, I know why everything is the way they are. I know why everything you see exists now and why it happens. But most importantly, I think I know how to stop it.

Flaky toned down her shaking and looked at the Stranger curiously. She walked closer to the Stranger to listen. "Flaky, this world is run by an evil man, a man who thinks he is God, and he is the one that causes the deaths of everyone. He also makes anyone that dies to forget any memories that day so they would never think this world is dangerous. But you've seen the danger. You've seen it. By surviving, you're breaking this world, and starting to realize the truth. Flaky, if everyone becomes like you and me, become aware enough to know that this world is not real, we can leave this place. We won't have to live in fear of death and be forced to live false lives. I can get us all home. But the only way that I can do that is to make you all believe in me."

The Stranger walked forward to Flaky and looked at her with a serious face. "Flaky, what I am asking you right now is very important. I've told you the truth. Do you believe it? Do you, Flaky, believe what I am saying, and trust me to save everyone?"

There was a long silence. The Stranger and Flaky did not make any noise or movement for what could have been nearly half an hour. They stood still, the Stranger waiting to know that his first few days of work was enough to convince her.

Flaky then looked up at the Stranger, and, shockingly to him, she spoke clearly. "Yes."

The Stranger stood expressionless. Flaky was the first person to believe him. The first person to trust his word. The first person to accept the truth of the world. It was a sign to the Stranger that, if he can get Flaky to believe the truth of this world, he could do the same for the others. The Stranger has made one small step in the fight to get home. He now had something to live for in this world.

The Stranger placed his hands on Flaky's shoulders and smiled at her. "Thank you, Flaky. This means so much to me. Knowing that you trust my word is more than anything that I could ask from you. Thank you, Flaky. I promise that I will continue this fight, and do all I can to protect this town and defeat that son of a bitch who hides from us. I thank you again for your support Flaky." The Stranger nodded his head, and began to limp away to the stairs and back outside. "Stay safe, Flaky. I will be back to check on you now and then to see if you're okay."

Flaky came up to the Stranger, though, and grabbed him by his right arm. The Stranger turned around to look at Flaky, who looked somewhat scared. "Don't worry, Flaky. I'm just going out to find a good place to work. I need to find a good home to work so I can easily help others. You've done a lot for me already, Flaky, and I can't ask any more from you now but to stay safe. I will be watching you in case anything bad happens."

Flaky, however, did not let go of the Stranger's arm, and instead pulled him with her back upstairs. The Stranger was confused but decided to follow. Flaky ended up taking the Stranger next to a small room, and turned on the lights. Looking inside, the Stranger noticed it was some kind of guest room. It was small in size, but it had a twin-sized bed, a desk to work on, a window in the back, a wall that was blank, and a wardrobe. The Stranger at first did not understand until he saw Flaky walk in and moved her arms to gesture the entire room.

The Stranger was confused and shock by what Flaky was offering him. "You're not offering this to me, are you? I mean, you don't exactly know much about me except saving you from the tower. You're okay with me working in here, in your house, in this room?" Flaky nodded.

The Stranger did not understand Flaky's kindness and the amount of trust she was placing onto the Stranger. They did not know much of each other except the fact that they are both scared of the dangers in this world and that they both want to help each other. The Stranger did not care for the reason, and ended up moving fast up to Flaky and giving a friendly hug without any thought. Flaky, somewhat shocked, returned the hug with her own.

The Stranger then realized what he was doing and back away quickly, his face blushing and scratching the back of his head as he stuttered. "I, um… I, yeah, um, t-thanks for the o-offer, Flaky. Thank you very much. I p-promise to be a respectful guest, and to do the, um, stuff I said. Yeah…" Flaky chuckled at the Stranger's stuttering, and gestured to him to place his stuff in his room.

The Stranger dropped his bag on the bed as Flaky exited the guest room, and ran thoughts into his head. He then took out the piece of paper from his fur pocket, his plan and theory, and placed it onto the desk. He looked at it closely, and examined his plan.

"Okay, asshole. I'm ready now. I'm ready to play your game. I'm ready for anything you have to throw at me. I will do all I can to save these people and get them, and me, home. I will play this game with you. And I intend to win."


	8. Ch 7: Day at the Office

**Chapter 7**

**Day at the Office**

* * *

**_Happy Tree Town, 4 months later_**

The warm air of summer that blew through Happy Tree Town was now replaced with the cool breeze of fall. The trees that surrounded the town and stood tall in the park now dawned the colors of brown and orange. The once clean roads that ran through the outskirts of the town were now blanketed with dead leaves. Small birds flew through the air and nested in the trees, making musical tunes that were soft and peaceful.

And, standing by a tall tree on the edge of Happy Tree Town, was the Stranger, wearing a freshly pressed brown leather coat and carried a new dark-blue backpack by the handle. His fur was combed, his body now at full strength since he entered this world, and his wounds cleared. He stood tall, overlooking the town as the sun rose from the eastern horizon, beaming shafts of light through the buildings.

The watch on his right hand activated its alarm, and the Stranger brought it up to him to see the time, which read 9:00 AM. He reached over and deactivated it, and stretched his body as he placed the blue backpack over his shoulders. He took a deep breath and looked up the tree.

"Well, time for another day of work."

The Stranger grabbed hold of the bark on the tree and slowly made his way up, grumbling to himself as he made his ascent.

"Yeah, this is exactly how I want to celebrate my 25th year alive, risking my life with a chance to die horribly ever second I work. But I guess I can't complain too much. My job involves saving lives and pissing an asshole off until I finally kick the living shit out of him to get back home, so I got that going for me."

The Stranger made it to the top of the tree and climbed up to the highest branch, just like before, and slowly balanced himself across until he reached the end. Doing his usual routine, he sat completely still as he looked straight out towards the bustling area of Happy Tree Town. Getting into position, he reached for the backpack on his shoulder and pulled out two objects: a small pair of binoculars with a strap to hang around his neck, and a notepad with a pen attached to the top.

He placed the pair of binoculars around his neck and took the notepad out, laying it steadily next to him. The Stranger then brought the binoculars to his eyes and adjusted the zoom until he got a clear visual of the town, and held it tightly with his right hand.

"Okay, what do you have for me today you son of a bitch…"

The Stranger observed closely for key situations that could involve death. Through the months working in this world, he adjusted his goals on how to attack situations. Not everyone was going to die, but a large number will, and the situations that occur could result in an 'area of effect' damage that could injure or kill people around it, despite not being involved. All he had to do was look for a situation that could kill a Tree Friend, and adjust it ever so slightly to prevent it from happening. Just moving a person one inch in a different direction could result the life or death of dozens of Tree Friends. He just had to find the obvious ones.

"Let's see what we have here... Okay, first up, I see, um… damn, what was his name again?" The Stranger lowered his binoculars down and looked at his notepad, and examined it closely. He ran through the pages which had the pictures and names of every unique Tree Friend, along with tally marks underneath them. He found the name instantly. "Ah, there it is! Okay, we got Handy standing on a platform with no rails high above the ground. Yeah, that hardhat won't save you, pal. He seems to be working on a tall building… seriously, how is he going to fix that without-"

The Stranger's body shook as the breeze rustled the branch, causing him to almost lose his balance. He brought himself straight and looked through the binoculars again. "Damn, almost lost my footing there. Okay, he is… what the hell?" Looking behind Handy, a good section of the building that was broken was now suddenly repaired. "Note to self, change motto of town to 'Fuck Logic' because that's exactly what is happening now. Anyway, he is being held up by… that blue moose, Lumpy. Man, I don't get it with that guy. He just seems to be able to obtain any job available without a post-secondary education. Either he is the smartest man in the world, or he is just one lucky bastard. Still, looking at this, since he is the one holding Handy up, if he lets go, Handy will fall and die, and the tools hanging on the platform will fall and hit him on his head, killing him since he is not wearing a hardhat. Anyone else in the area may also be affected. Okay, that's Situation One!"

The Stranger lowered his binoculars and pulled out the pen from the notepad, and switched over to a blank page. On the page, he wrote 'Situation One' and wrote down the main characters involved along with the location. After writing the situation, he brought up his binoculars. "Okay, who's next? Next, we got them shady raccoons Shifty and Lifty standing by an alley once more, doing whatever shit they are always up to. Looking at their position, I suspect they will sell something that, if sold, would result in death. Okay, Situation Two being jotted down now." The Stranger went for his notepad and wrote down the second situation.

"Anything else today? Yep, we got Petunia working at a flower store today, and happily enjoying the time watering the flowers. Well, looking here, I don't see anything in particular that could… wait a minute? No!" The Stranger shook his head in anger. "Disco Bear?! Seriously man, how many times do I have to kick you in the balls to stop you from harassing people?! Alright, that is definitely a Situation Three there!" The Stranger quickly wrote down the third situation.

"Who's up next? Well, we got the single father, Pop, and his lovely son, Cub. Everything seems to be going fine, except that he is leaving his under-aged son with the lawnmower, a piece of mechanical equipment that can easily kill him. Looking at this, I suspect either Cub to be cut up by the blades, or run over something that could shoot out and kill someone else. Seems that Pop needs to have a neighborly lesson about how to be a good parent. Situation Four is being written now." The fourth situation was instantly written.

"Do we have anything else that I can work with today? Well, I spy with my little eye, a purple lamb named Lammy, who is having a lovely tea party with… with… what the fuck?!" The Stranger rubbed his eyes and looked back into the binoculars. "Is that a pickle?! Is she seriously talking to an inanimate object?! Okay, I don't know why, but I feel like bad shit is about to happen there. Situation Five is observed and written." The Stranger wrote down the fifth situation in the notepad.

Looking back up, the Stranger came to the conclusion that he had made the final observation. With five situations occurring at once, he had to move now and attack each one swiftly, or else a lot of people will indeed die.

The Stranger placed the binoculars back into the backpack and kept his notepad in his coat pocket. He then moved his neck around, took a few deep breaths, and cracked his knuckles.

"Okay, you know the drill. Hit each one hard and fast. Time to move!"

The Stranger quickly turned around and climbed down the tree without hesitation, and made it back onto the grassy floor in seconds. He took a few more deep breaths and pulled out his notepad.

"Alright, Situation One: Construction Site, people are Handy and Lumpy."

The Stranger placed the noted pad back into his pocket and made a sprint to the construction site, not stopping for anything on his way. In about a minute's time, he made it to the sidewalk across from the construction site. He could easily observe Handy standing on the platform and Lumpy holding him up with the rope, with nothing in particular that could cause damage. The Stranger then looked over to notice Cuddles walking by and stopped in front of the site, and turned around to see Lumpy. The Stranger could tell what was going to happen, and made a dash across the street while making sure no vehicles were inbound.

Cuddles waved his hand and said hello to Lumpy, which made him turned around and slowly move his one hand which he used to hold the rope up. The Stranger jumped in and brought his hand up and yelled.

"Lumpy! Do not move your hand from the rope!" Lumpy saw the Stranger and heard his demand, and placed his hand quickly back to the rope. The Stranger walked between Cuddles and Lumpy and turned his face to see Cuddles. "Cuddles, do not distract the workers who are in the middle of construction. Distractions can cause mishaps. Mishaps can cause injuries. Injuries can lead to death of the worker and those around him. Just keep moving." The Stranger waved his hand and gestured it down the street, which Cuddles shrugged and kept moving down.

The Stranger then moved up to Lumpy with a fake smile. "And Lumpy," the Stranger looked down to see a hardhat, and picked it up to place it on Lumpy's head. "Wear your hardhat. Objects that fall from the sky could indeed cause some severe injuries. We don't want that smart head of yours to go to waste now, right?" Lumpy nodded his head and said "Okay," showing he understood the situation.

The Stranger then leaned back and placed his hands around his mouth. "HANDY!" The volume of his cry made Handy look down from his position to see the Stranger. "May I suggest investing in a platform with rails so you don't have to worry about falling off, and a legit pulley system so you don't have to rely on someone else to handle your life?" Handy nodded his head with a smile, and waved his stubby arms. The Stranger waved back to Handy, and gave a friendly nod to Lumpy, and slowly walked off away from the construction site.

The Stranger stood out in front of the construction site, and took a deep breath as he pulled out the notepad. "Alright, Situation One has been averted!" The Stranger took out the pen and crossed it out, and wrote 'Averted' over it. He flipped the page to examine the next goal. "Now for Situation Two: Alleyway, people are Lifty and Shifty."

The Stranger placed the notepad back into his coat pocket and made a short jog on the sidewalk. As he jogged through the crowds of generic Tree Friends enjoying their day, he looked around to observe how peaceful the town actually was. If he wasn't so afraid of the time or had to worry about death, the place really could be paradise. Sadly, it was never going to be the case as long as the mad man ruled the world.

The Stranger made it to the edge of the alleyway, and hid behind a wall that was next to the entrance of the dark alley. He peeked over to notice the two green raccoons, Lifty and Shifty, snickering as they were conversing with the light-green squirrel with candy attached to his body, Nutty, who was jittering up and down.

"Man, he sure gets a really good high from eating sugar. It really has to be some good stuff to be that addicted." The Stranger looked closer to see that Lifty and Shifty were selling a large bag of a variety of sugars and sweets, and Nutty was staring in envy as he was about to make a purchase. The Stranger shook his head in disbelief. "I'm sorry man, but you're going to have to try and kick it sooner or later."

The Stranger walked into the alleyway and made it straight up to the three Tree Friends, unaware of his presence. He then took the bag of candy from Nutty right out of his hands and stared at him with a serious expression. "Nutty, seriously, you got to kick that candy-drug habit, man! Here," the Stranger reached into one of his pockets to pull out a piece of hard candy, which seemed to be very low on sugar, "suck on this. DON'T chew, your teeth will break. Just suck on it and walk away."

Nutty took the piece of hard candy from the Stranger and placed it into his mouth, carefully making sure he did not chew. As the candy laid in his mouth, he did not have a positive or negative reaction, just a blank stare. He then shrugged and walked away from the alley, leaving Lifty and Shifty without a buyer.

The Stranger then turned around to see the two criminals, and gave them a cold and angry stare, which made them step back a little. "And you two!" The Stranger threw the bag of candy at them, hitting Shifty in the face as he continue to walk back. "If I see either of you try and contribute to his candy-drug habit again, I'll smash your skulls into the pavement. Now beat it you assholes!"

Shifty and Lifty stared angrily at the Stranger, but decided it was best not to mess with him. They both looked at each other and nodded in agitation, and ran off deeper into the alleyway. The Stranger stood tall and watched them flee, and nodded his head proudly. He then pulled out his notepad and made another checkmark.

"Good, another situation averted! Next up, my favorite of the five today. Situation Three, Petunia's Flower Shop, people are Petunia and my all-time favorite, Disco Bear!"

The Stranger placed the notepad back into his pocket and made another short jog onto the sidewalk. He took it slower this time since the next stop was only around the corner, and took the time to observe the other Tree Friends enjoying their day. The Stranger kept the thought in his head wondering how they will react the day he tells them the truth. It will be a big shock to them when they hear the news, but he held it off until he felt like the moment is right.

The Stranger walked around the corner and noticed Petunia's Flower Shop, which was small in size but was possibly the cleanest building in the entire town. He slowly made his way into the store and looked around, smelling the beautiful flowers that laid across the counter and hanged inside little pots.

The Stranger looked over to see Petunia watering the flowers, and was humming a small tune happily. He walked over to greet her.

"Good morning Petunia! Beautiful day to water the flowers, I see." Petunia nodded her head with a smile as she continued to sing the little tune of hers.

The Stranger then heard the sound of a bell ringing that signaled the entrance of another customer. The Stranger looked over to notice Disco Bear, who was doing his usual dancing routine as he walked. He seemed very eager, ready to 'flirt' with one of Happy Tree Town's women. But he would soon stop dancing and stare in horror once he caught the sight of the Stranger, who was looking directly at him.

The Stranger moved forward a bit and reached out both his arms out wide as if he were going to give a hug, and gave a fake and creepy smile. "Hey, Disco Bear, how you doing, man? You coming here to buy some beautiful flowers, or were you here to try and harass Petunia again?" As the Stranger walked forward, Disco Bear shook his head quickly as he whimpered in fear, and slowly walked back.

The Stranger lowered his arms and removed the smile from his face. "You know, Disco Bear, I thought I stated clearly that if I see you try and attempt to mess with these women here again despite the fact that they don't want anything to do with you, I would be forced to do something very drastic that would make it clear enough to never mess with them ever again. I wonder if I should show you that now."

Disco Bear shook his head violently and tripped on his feet, landing on his rear as he continued to crawl backwards until he hit the wall. The Stranger got real close to Disco Bear and had his face right next to his, almost giving Disco Bear a heart attack.

"But you know what? Since I am in a happy mood today, I think I will refrain from doing such a terrible deed. I think right now we have made a clear understanding, so I am taking you off the hook today." The Stranger stood straight back up and reach his hand out to Disco Bear, picking him up gently to his feet. Disco Bear took a few deep breaths and made a small smile.

The Stranger then grabbed Disco Bear by his fluffy orange afro and brought his ear to his face. "But if I see you try it one more time, ONE more time, there won't be anything left of you anymore to give you the feeling to attempt this again." The Stranger then threw Disco Bear out the door, which made the bear trip onto the sidewalk. The Stranger then pointed his finger outward. "Now get out of here you dick."

Disco Bear nodded his head quickly, got up to his feet, and ran off into the opposite direction he once came. The Stranger brushed off his coat and fur back down to a clean state, and took a few deep breaths to calm down.

He then turned around to face Petunia with a smile. "You have a wonderful and safe day, Petunia!" Petunia smiled back and waved, saying "Goodbye".

But before the Stranger left, he noticed a small set of petunia flowers that look freshly grown and young. He pointed his finger at them. "Oh, and, can you save those for me? I'm thinking of purchasing them later." Petunia nodded her head with a smile and waved, and the Stranger exited the store.

The Stranger stood in front of the store and took a deep breath, and pulled out his notepad once more. "Alright, that was simple. Situation Three is averted!" The Stranger crossed out the situation and flipped the page. "Okay, time to be the good neighbor and help a family out. Situation Four, Pop's Home, people are Pop and Cub." The Stranger closed the notepad and placed it back into his coat pocket.

The Stranger looked across the road and down the sidewalk across from him to see Pop's house, which was just a few short minutes away. After looking both ways, the Stranger ran across the street to the other sidewalk, and took a right. Walking calmly through the crowds of generic Tree Friends, he would make it to the fence outside of Pop's house safely and quickly. Looking into Pop's yard, the Stranger could see Pop sleeping in a cot hanging between two trees, unaware of his son being outside. This would turn into a bad situation as the Stranger noticed that Cub was handling the lawnmower, going back and forth as the blades were spinning at a violent rate, and were sharp enough to cut anything to shreds.

The Stranger than stood in horror as Cub hit the lawnmower against something, causing the blades to jam. Due to his childish young mind, Cub leaned down to look underneath the lawnmower, exposing himself to the sharp blades. The Stranger quickly looked over to Pop, who was still sleeping and not noticing Cub about to get himself killed.

Ignoring the fact that he was going to trespass onto Pop's property, the Stranger vaulted over the white fence and ran straight towards Cub as fast he could. The Stranger would make it just in time to pick up Cub and place him a good distance away from the lawnmower. He turned around quickly to turn the lawnmower off, and faced Cub with a serious look, moving his index finger back and forth in front of him.

"Cub, you should NEVER look underneath the lawnmower when it is still active. If it gets jam or stuck on something, we turn it off before checking, because if we move it while it is still on, the blades will move and give you a nasty cut. We don't want you to get a bad cut on your hand now, do we?" Cub shook his head as the Stranger smiled. "Smart boy! Now, let's go talk to your father."

The Stranger held onto Cub's hand as he led him to his father, who was still sleeping in the cot. The Stranger stood still, angry at the fact that such an irresponsible father almost let his son get killed due to something he could easily have prevented himself.

Seeing that Pop was not going to wake up anytime soon, the Stranger tapped Pop on the shoulder, waking him up from his slumber. The Stranger then spoke in a harsh tone.

"Pop, I found your son here playing with the lawnmower and almost had his hand cut off since he was looking underneath it. As a responsible citizen, I was forced to enter your property to save him, despite the fact that YOU should have done it."

Pop, hearing this tragic news, instantly jumped out of his cot and cried out "Son!" to Cub, hugging him tightly as he breathed heavily. The Stranger shook his head.

"Pop, you have got to pay better attention to Cub. Don't let him out of your sight, and stop leaving him with mechanical equipment. There is a reason why they place those yellow warning signs to keep children away from dangerous mechanical lawn equipment. You have to be more vigilant, Pop!" Pop nodded his head quickly as he looked at the Stranger, and picked up his son.

Pop then carried Cub to his house, and went back inside to continue the day there. The Stranger looked down and sighed.

"Maybe if that man's wife was still here, he might not be such a bad father. Poor bastard…"

The Stranger turned around slowly and walked to the fence, and vaulted over to get back onto the sidewalk on the other side. He took out his notepad and crossed out the situation. "Situation Four averted. We now bring ourselves to the last observed situation. Situation Five, Lammy's House, person in this situation is Lammy." The Stranger placed the notepad back into his pocket and walked down the sidewalk again.

Lammy's house was not a far distance from Pop's, and was able to get to her house without any trouble on the way. The Stranger stood outside of Lammy's property line, and watched her joyfully have a tea party with a lone pickle. The Stranger could not make out the situation clearly, confused about why Lammy would do such an act in public.

"I hope she has some real friends or something. Maybe she has that mental disorder were inanimate objects turn alive in her mind but are not real or something. I don't know, feel kind of sorry for her. Still, looking at this situation here, I don't think anything major will… will…"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he saw something that shook his entire body in fear. Standing in complete horror, the Stranger was watching the pickle on the opposite end of the tea table with Lammy, and believed he saw it move ever so slightly. Suddenly, the pickle stood itself up slowly, and was now standing up completely. As it stood up straight, it magically dawned a couple of eyes, a mustache, and pulled out a tiny top hat. It was alive.

The Stranger's body began to shake as he breathed heavily, and notice that the pickle was now staring straight at the Stranger. The pickle then brought out two tiny arms, and tip his top hat towards the Stranger as he gave him a creepy smile.

The Stranger went insane and ran into the middle of the tea party, pointing his index finger at the pickle. "HOLY SHIT! What the fuck is that thing?!" His loud question caught the attention of Lammy, who was shocked by the sudden appearance of the Stranger coming up into the middle of their tea party.

The pickle that the Stranger saw had now turned back into an inanimate state, and was no longer alive. The Stranger, however, was still going insane as he was pointing at it and looking between the pickle and Lammy.

"Did you see that?! You saw that shit, right? This pickle, this… whatever the fuck it is, was alive! I saw it!" The Stranger asking questions at a frantic pace was making Lammy a little scared and nervous, confused about the situation. The Stranger, however, ignored Lammy's nervous look and walked up to the now inanimate pickle.

"I saw you alive with your shitty looking top hat and French mustache and tiny arms and shit! I know your alive, so fucking come out and show me again!" The Stranger leaned in close to the pickle. "You know, all you pickles are the same! You taste like shit, you fool the world about being a vegetable when you are actually a fruit, and you cause the pain and agony of many people's hands when we try to open the jar you should stay in!"

Lammy was completely confused by seeing the Stranger converse with a pickle, and was yelling at it angrily. The Stranger stood up straight and continue to point his finger at the pickle. "Come on you bastard, show your face again! I know what I saw, so show yourself!"

The Stranger then slowly turned his face over to notice Lammy, who moved her seat away a short distance after seeing such a scary situation currently be taking place. The Stranger cleared his throat and brushed his fur back down and gave a smile to Lammy.

"I'm sorry you have to see this terrible situation, Lammy. You see, pickles like this one here, we go-"

The Stranger was interrupted as the pickle came back to life once more, and jumped straight onto the Stranger's face, latching himself onto him. The Stranger began to run around in circles, screaming as he tried to get the pickle off his face.

"Ah shit, I knew it! It's alive, Lammy, it's fucking alive! The damn creature is alive!"

After a few seconds of running in circles, the Stranger used both his hands to pull the pickle off his face and threw it straight onto the ground. Seeing it hit the ground hard, the Stranger attempted to smash it to pieces by stepping on it, but failed as the pickle rolled across the ground and underneath the table. The Stranger knelled down and looked underneath the same table.

"Come on out you bastard! I know you're…"

The Stranger went silent as he stood back up and notice the pickle was now on top of the table, now wielding a sewing needle as a weapon, and gave the Stranger the same creepy smile.

The Stranger looked over towards Lammy with a scared look. "It's learning how to use weapons now! It's learning, Lammy, its learning!"

The Stranger braced himself as the pickle got into a pouncing stance, and made an attempt to lunge towards the Stranger. The Stranger dodged the attack the first time as the pickle landed on its feet on the ground next to him, but failed the second time as the pickle made a second quick jump.

The pickle hit the Stranger hard enough to make him fall onto the table, and now had his back onto it. The pickle walked over the Stranger body, and was now standing over the Stranger's face, having the needle at the ready. The Stranger reached his hands out in time before the pickle could stab the needle into his neck, and the two were now struggling to fight. As the Stranger tried to push the needle away from his neck, with multiple times having it actually poke slightly through, the pickle tried to push the needle down to end the Stranger's life.

During all of this, Lammy was screaming and was just watching the fight take place in front of her.

The Stranger looked over to Lammy with fear in his eyes. "Lammy, get this son of a bitch off of me, now!"

As he said this, the pickle also looked over to Lammy with his creepy smile, and stared at her silently. Lammy was looking back and forth between the two, which confused the Stranger greatly as she was actually wondering who to help.

"Lammy, what the fuck are you doing?! This thing is going to kill me!" Lammy continued to look between the two fighters, and was still actually thinking who to help. "For God's sake, Lammy, just…"

The Stranger went silent as he noticed Lammy suddenly disappeared. The Stranger was going into a state of insanity of wondering what just happened before his eyes. He then looked forward, and what he saw scared him beyond belief.

He was now somehow fighting against Lammy, and looked over to his side to see the pickle go back to its inanimate state. The Stranger looked back to Lammy quickly and pushed her off to the side, and jumped off the table and onto the ground. He stood up straight, hyperventilating since he was almost killed, and felt his neck as he noticed some blood was running down due to a small cut.

The Stranger then looked over to see Lammy, who got up slowly and rubbed her head, acting as if the entire situation did not occur. The Stranger looked at her with rage.

"What the fuck was that shit?! What the fuck just happened?!" Lammy tried to speak, but was instantly silenced by the Stranger as he raised up his hand. "You know what? I don't give a shit. I just don't give a shit anymore! You handle whatever the fuck this is on your own! It's one thing when I have to clean up Sniffles' shit whenever he makes a machine that destroys everything, but this shit?! No, you fix this yourself! Have a great day, Lammy!"

The Stranger walked off, leaving Lammy alone with the destroyed table and inanimate pickle. He quickly pulled out his notepad and crossed out the situation. "I don't know what happened, but it's over now." The Stranger checked his watch to see the time, and noticed it just turned 10:00 AM. "Well, at least I beat my record of number of situations averted in an hour." The Stranger placed the notepad back into his pocket and sighed. "Well, I guess that's it. I just walk around until something happens. Man, this day got way too weird for me. I could really use a drink."

* * *

It was almost 5:00 PM as the Stranger sat on a bench in the park, and looked out towards the city as the sun began to set in the western horizon. After the incident with Lammy, two situations occurred that were easily solved. The first involved Russell's restaurant, which almost caught on fire since some of the food was left on a stove for too long and was sent up in flames. Luckily, the Stranger was ordering something there to eat and noticed the situation, and put out the fire before it got out of control. After taking out the fire, the Stranger ordered everyone to leave for the day, just to keep it safe until it was cleaned. The second involved Mole, who was once again running the blood drive. Since the day was believed to be safe, the Stranger took the Mole's position and handled the blood drive for the rest of the day. Other than that, it was just another day at work.

The Stranger's watch went off and noticed it was now 5:00 PM, and was now time to get off of work. Enough people were saved and any remaining situations should prove non-fatal. He stood up, placed the backpack over his shoulder, and leaned down to carry a plastic bag with a couple of petunia flowers. He then made his short journey back to Flaky's house, who gladly gave him a guest room as a place to work.

The Stranger never understood the kindness or trust she put onto him, despite how they did not know much of each other after the tower incident. But over the months, they have gotten close and have aided each other in many ways, and he was grateful to have her support on his goal, and as a friend.

The Stranger made it to the door of Flaky's house, and knocked on it a couple of times. "Flaky, guess who's home?" The locks on Flaky's door were opened quickly, and she opened the door widely, letting the Stranger enter her home.

The Stranger gave a warm hug to her as he smiled. "Thank you, Flaky, it's good to see you're still okay." Flaky returned the hug, and the Stranger went inside and stood near the white sofa, lowering his backpack onto the floor before it and laid the plastic bag on the coffee table. Flaky noticed the bag after she closed the door and came over to look at it.

The Stranger smiled and pulled out the petunia flowers. "I noticed the petunia flowers in the kitchen were starting to wither, so I got some fresh new ones to replace it." He handed them over to Flaky, whom she enjoyed it greatly as she held it. She then got worried as she bent down and pointed to the wound on the Stranger's neck, which the Stranger just laughed it off. "Oh, this? Well, it was just another day at the office. Nothing that I could not handle."

Flaky smiled at the Stranger's confidence, and stood still looking at him. The Stranger noticed how Flaky was just smiling while also looking eager, which made him feel slightly amused and confused. "What are you so jolly about? Something good happen while I was gone?" Flaky grabbed both of the Stranger's hands and placed them over his eyes, shocking him. "Flaky, what are you doing?" Flaky made a 'Shush" sound, asking the Stranger to stay quiet.

The Stranger covered his eyes as he heard Flaky place the flowers away, and could hear her grabbing something. She then came out and asked him to open his eyes.

Upon removing his hands from his face, he saw Flaky holding a small cake with a candle on top. The Stranger's eyes widen, and looked at Flaky with a smile. "Flaky… this isn't for-"

Flaky interrupted with a smile and spoke clearly. "Happy Birthday!"

Flaky placed the cake before the Stranger, who was beginning to feel slightly emotional. He was, in this hellish world, having a celebration for a quarter-of-a-century birthday. He smiled greatly at the cake and at Flaky, but then was confused.

"Wait a minute? How did you know it was my birthday? I don't recall ever mentioning it. Wait, were you looking through my journals again?!" The Stranger said this with a happy tone, not meaning to offend. Flaky's face turned red of embarrassment, guilty of the act. The Stranger made a short chuckle, not caring about the act. "Well, you made it up with an amazing cake, Flaky."

Flaky gestured the Stranger to blow out the candle, just to make sure the house would not burn down, which he had the same thought. He placed the cake on the coffee table before him, made his wish, and blew out the candle, with Flaky clapping her hands softly, making the Stranger smile greatly.

Flaky then gestured her hands and pointed underneath the sofa, which confused the Stranger but made him eager to look. He looked underneath, and noticed a flat box, and pulled it out to place it on his lap. "Well Flaky, you sure know how to hide, don't you?" Flaky quickly gestured to open it, anxiously waiting for the Stranger to see his gift.

Before opening the box, he pulled the card off attached to it, and opened it to read it.

* * *

_Sorry about going through your journals! I found out it was your birthday today, and felt like it would be nice to give you something special. You are doing so much for us here in this world, risking your life to save us all and to get us to our real homes, and I felt like you deserved something for your work. I hope you will use this, and that it will make you feel close to home. Thank you for all your work!_

_Flaky_

* * *

The Stranger smiled out the card, and placed it over to open the box. Upon reveal, the Stranger noticed something that he rarely saw in this world: a pair of blue jeans, tailored for his size and breed. He was confused why Flaky would give a squirrel pants. Like her and all other Tree Friends, his genital area was completely hidden, so there was no need for pants.

Then again, the Stranger was not really a squirrel. He knew why Flaky got it for him, and shed a tear knowing it. He placed it down and gave Flaky a tight hug. "Thanks Flaky. I love it."

The Stranger then got up and picked up his stuff, along with his newly acquired pants. He smiled at Flaky and made a suggestion. "Why don't we watch some old movies while we eat the cake, make it more special?" Flaky nodded her head as the Stranger went to drop his stuff inside his room/office.

Quickly entering the room, he observed how it currently looked. His bed was kept neat and tidy, like always. His wardrobe was filled with a variety of jackets and cleaning tools to keep his fur nice. His desk held a variety of notebooks and journals, detailing a variety of topics. The other end of the room held some supplies he used for his job outside. And the once blank wall was now replaced with a huge map of Happy Tree Town, with all the names and locations of the characters and unique areas.

He dropped his backpack by the desk, hanged his coat in the wardrobe, and folded his pants to fit in the drawers. He then walked over to the map and wrote down a tally mark for every name, signaling another day of survival for each character. With his abilities getting better every day, the number rose for each one, surviving every day.

After seeing all of his stuff was now away, he exited his room and closed the door.

_I see you're making yourself at home, Stranger._

The voice of the mad man had returned back to taunt him again. "Well, if I am going to kick your ass one day, I might as well enjoy my time before doing it."

_Yes, I see. Well, I just came by to wish you-_

"Fuck you. You're not invited to my birthday celebration."

_I need an invitation? Well, can I have one?_

"How about we trade? I give you an invitation to my birthday party, and you give me an invitation to kick the living shit out of you? Deal?"

_Nah, I'll pass on that offer._

"Then fuck off."

_Well that's rude. Pushing a person away without asking them what they want. Come, why don't we have a short chat._

The Stranger sighed and looked up. "Make it quick."

_So, are you enjoying being the 'vigilante' hero? The masked man who comes from nowhere to save the day? You know, Stranger, you can be very cliché. I thought you'd be more original._

"Well, it's being the hero here that is going to-"

_How long do you plan to keep up this lie, Stranger?_

The Stranger was confused by his accusation. "Lie? What lie?"

_You're not doing all of this hero work to save them. You're doing this to save yourself. You're not a hero. You are still the same selfish bastard from the start. Isn't that right?_

The Stranger was enraged by the mad man's taunt. "That's bullshit! I do care about the safety of these people. I will work hard to save them. I will do everything to protect them and kick your ass in the end!"

_Alright then, stay with that thought. But may I ask, how long do you plan to keep up this fight? You have been fighting for months with little success. The only reason that red porcupine listened to you is because she is paranoid. She'd probably believe anything that scares her. The others, well, it may not be as easy to convince._

"All it takes is time. All I have to do is keep them alive from your awful situations and they will soon one day understand everything. Besides, looking at today and the past few weeks, you have been running out of moves. There is nothing you can throw at me now that I can't beat."

The voice went silent for a short time, and then returned back to speak.

_Well, perhaps I have been playing the wrong cards. I did not want to resort to this tactic, but I guess I have no choice, but to unleash my secret and most powerful weapon._

The Stranger chuckled at the mad man's threat. "Secret weapon. Really? What is this secret weapon?"

_A monster. A two-faced monster who is unbeatable. A monster so fierce and deadly that only few could ever defeat it. It is an untamable monster whose only goal is to kill everything. It hides within the crowds and comes out at the least expected moments. It is a killing machine, and it is a challenge that I know you cannot overcome._

"Oh yeah, well, what kind of monster is this thing?"

_Let's just say this monster can be a little 'flippy.' _The mad man laughed at the last word he said, and left the Stranger alone.

The Stranger looked down, and laughed one more time. "Yeah, you play that card. I'll be ready for it."

The Stranger could now hear the voice of Flaky calling him. He walked slowly down the stairs, and thought to himself, "A 'flippy' monster. Yeah, I like to see that."


	9. Ch 8: Promise

**Chapter 8**

**Promise**

* * *

The darkness of the night now covered all across Happy Tree Town. Tiny stars twinkled in the night sky high above throughout the universe. The moon was full in size, and its white glow gave night-time visibility to the now silent town. Crickets chirped and made sounds as they moved through the grass outside. Lights were lit in some of the Tree Friend's homes, those who decided to stay up late for whatever purpose of their choosing.

One such home happened to be Flaky's, where inside laid the Stranger and Flaky on a white sofa, watching the television screen that played an old black and white film. On the coffee table before them were small pieces of whatever remained of the Stranger's 25th birthday cake, with crumbs that scattered across the plate.

The Stranger was wide awake, enjoying another film that he believed would be fun to watch on his special day, and smiled widely knowing today went so well thanks to Flaky. Flaky, however, went for a different approach and decided to take an early nap during his late celebration. She was laying her head against the Stranger's left shoulder, her eyes shut and sleeping silently. The Stranger had his arm wrapped around her to hold her tight to his side, and slowly brushed her quills with his hands that helped Flaky go to sleep.

He looked down to see her sleeping face, and saw how beautiful she looked as she slept against him. The Stranger was slightly emotional: she done a lot for him in just a single day, and so much was done for him before this date. She was undoubtedly the greatest asset to his goal to fight the mad man, and a true friend that he was glad to have by his side... perhaps even more.

He swiftly looked over to see the grandfather clock tracking time and was shocked to see it was aiming for 12:00 AM, with only five more minutes to spare. Knowing that it would most likely go off, he did not want Flaky to wake up from such a wonderful nap, especially for everything she has done for him today. With that thought, he grabbed the remote beside him and aimed it at the television.

"I know how it ends anyway: two unlikely people who you would think will never find love find each other in the end and live happily ever after. Hey _Marty_, you go man."

The Stranger turned off the television and stopped the movie in its tracks. Placing the remote back down onto the table before him, he slowly move himself away from Flaky and gently let her fall on the sofa without waking her up. And, like a husband carries his newly-wed bride, the Stranger leaned over and placed his right arm underneath her legs and his left under her back, this time going at an angle to hit the quills at the flat end to avoid being punctured like before.

Holding her up carefully on his arms, he slowly walked out of the living room and upstairs to the second floor. He walked to the other end of the hall to reach her bed room, and moved the slightly open door with his back, entering her room silently. He took his steps slowly to reach the left side of Flaky's bed, and used his right foot to help move the covers to give Flaky an empty spot to lay.

Placing her gently onto the bed, the Stranger laid her head against the soft pillow and let her body lie across the bed, making sure she would sleep comfortably. After laying her completely down onto the bed, he reached for the covers and dragged them slowly across the top of her body. He was scared at first, thinking he woke her up as she made a sigh of relief, but calmed down seeing she was still in a deep slumber.

Seeing that she was now perfectly comfortable under the bed sheets, he stood up straight and gave her a warm smile.

"Good night, Flaky. I'll see you in the morning… and thank you again."

The Stranger tip-toed across the floor to avoid making any creaking sounds on the floorboard, and made it outside of her room. He turned around to grab the door handle and began to bring the door to a close. But before the door was made completely shut, he looked through the small edge of visibility to watch the sleeping Flaky.

_You're not doing all of this hero work to save them. You're doing this to save yourself. You're not a hero. You are still the same selfish bastard from the start. Isn't that right?_

The taunting words he heard tonight from the mad man rang through his head. What was his real intentions? Was he really just using the Tree Friends as a scapegoat to get himself home, and did not actually care for them? Was he really the selfish person from the beginning, only caring to save himself? He would not let these people to die just to go home… would he?

The Stranger was questioning his motives, despite being in this world long enough to make a clear decision. But then he began to recall a day back during his beginning hours working on his plan to save the Tree Friends, a day that he thought was indeed his real reason to fight. And it had everything to do with Flaky.

* * *

_**3 Months Earlier**_

The time was just before seven-in-the-morning, the summer sun just barely shining upon the eastern horizon. Since today was a Sunday, many Tree Friends have decided to sleep in instead of waking up to do more boring work or worry about any troubles.

This was not the same for the Stranger. Instead of lying down on his nice bed having pleasant dreams of a beautiful morning, he was running frantically back and forth between his desk and his new map of Happy Tree Town on the wall. Breathing heavily and at a fast rate, his eyes were jumpy as he observed his journals and the map before him.

"Okay, so he attacked here and here yesterday, using that pink beaver and yellow rabbit. He may be moving here and might use that mime; he hasn't killed him for some time. He could be planning to use that super squirrel that kills everything in site without hesitation, and I have to be there to tell him to fuck off. Then again, that lamb with the pickle has been absent too, and he may attack by the tower for a massive A.O.E causing multiple deaths… or dear God, where the fuck is he going to strike! THINK!"

Through just the first few weeks announcing to Flaky his plan to save everyone, he has changed his course of attack multiple times. Some days the mad man attempted multiple situations, while others only few and sometimes none. People may be used constantly or rarely, and some situations don't result in death in anyway. Areas that were used varied from situation to situation, and always involved someone different. The mad man's moves were practically unpredictable.

The Stranger believed there was some kind of pattern, something that the mad man worked with, and he had to discover a way to counteract that pattern with his own. Every second meant that a Tree Friend was likely to die by pure accident, murder, or random A.I such as the Ants against Sniffles, who proved more challenging to stop than he intended.

It was a restless task for the Stranger; there was no time to take breaks or to lay down. He could not figure out a day that could be peaceful or be the death of everyone, so he always had to stay vigilant and wake up early to plan out his attack before the mad man did. It was exhausting; it would most likely be the death of him instead of some freak accident,

Still looking back and forth between his journal and the map, using his marker to place checkpoints and details, along with putting marks under the faces of unique Tree Friends for days of survival, the Stranger failed to notice Flaky was standing outside his room observing his actions the past five minutes.

Flaky, a little worried about the Stranger's current state of affairs, walked forward slowly and spoke softly. "Hello?"

The Stranger had no reaction to the word, and continued to mumble to himself as he wrote in his journal.

"Hello?!"

Flaky spoke a little louder, hoping the increased volume would grab his attention. It failed.

A little agitated by his failure to respond to her, Flaky walked right up to the Stranger, close to his left side, in hopes he would notice her in his peripheral vision. As before, he failed to even notice her existence.

Pushed to her limits, Flaky took out her right hand and slightly shoved the Stranger's left shoulder, making him jump in shock at the sudden touch. He turned around to face Flaky, hyperventilating from her sudden appearance, and had a confused expression as he made a nervous smile.

"Oh, h-hi, Flaky. I didn't notice you were standing there." The Stranger calmed down and relaxed his body. "What are you doing up so early? It's a weekend, you should be enjoying the day relaxing."

Flaky crossed her arms and looked at the Stranger with a smirk, gesturing him to ask himself the same question. The Stranger looked down and shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah, I haven't slept at all last night. I was just… scared about today as I had this bad thought, so I got up and just walked around in here trying to plan out my attack." The Stranger looked back at his journal and continued to look at his map and book in frequent motion. "This job is one that requires constant work, Flaky. Any moment something bad could happen and I need to be prepared, so if it means I need to skip a night's rest, than I have to take it."

Flaky shook her head, worried about the Stranger's health and sanity and upset over his constant belief in work. Even though she was scared about this world like he was, especially learning about the truth as it proved more accurately with each passing day, she knew that there had to be days in which nothing bad did happen, which there was.

Flaky tapped the Stranger's shoulder again to grab his attention, though this time he looked a little agitated. "Flaky, I'm sorry, but I am a little busy trying to figure out my move. Please, I think it would be best if you-"

Flaky brought up her hand to halt the Stranger's excuse, and pointed her right index finger out the bedroom door, asking him to exit and come with her down stairs.

The Stranger once again shook his head. "Flaky, I need to work right now. Just let me-"

Flaky made a grunt sound with her throat and pointed to him and the door multiple times to signal him to stop and come down stairs. The Stranger looked at her confused. "Well, just let me do-"

"Now."

Flaky spoke clearly for the Stranger, which caught his attention and made him go silent for a short time. He looked down at his journal, then to the map, then back to her, and placed a worried and tired look as he nodded his head. "Okay, I'll come down. Just let me write one more-"

Flaky took the marker and journal from his hands and closed the book quickly, and placed it onto the Stranger's work desk and proceeded to move downstairs. The Stranger sighed, placed his hands by his sides, and made a small smile. "I have to admit, under that little skittish movements and nervous chuckles of hers, she certainly has a strong independent attitude to get shit done… man, I really like that about her."

He followed behind Flaky and moved downstairs with her to meet up in the kitchen. Being the second to enter, the Stranger noticed that Flaky was preparing some kind of basket with food and a large blanket, filling it with sandwiches and other types of food that could be brought from place to place and stay fresh.

She then closed the basket and picked up a large light-tan sunhat and placed it over her head, and turned around to face the Stranger, who stood confused as he watched her move around. Flaky pointed to him, then to the basket, then to the door, then back to him once more.

The Stranger was shocked, trying to make out Flaky's request. "Wait, hold on a minute, Flaky. Are you really asking me that we should just go outside like nothing bad is about to happen? Just take a break from work when people could die any second? Flaky, I love to come with you, really I would, but I have lots of work to do and with little time to…"

Flaky crossed her arms once more and lowered her head while keeping her eyes on the Stranger. She sighed and shook her head, and gave the Stranger a look that made him feel terrible inside.

"Flaky, don't stand and look at me like that. You know I don't like it when you do that." Flaky began to slowly look up and make a little sarcastic begging face, which made the Stranger tense up and shook his head multiple times silently. He then lost control of his mind and brought his hands to his sides. "Damn it, Flaky, why are you so good at this?!" He lowered his head, sighed, and looked back up slowly. "Okay, I will go with you, but I'm still bringing my gear, and if anything, ANYTHING goes wrong, I'm getting us out of there. Understand?" Flaky brought her hands to her hips and stood with a proud and successful look, and nodded her head.

The Stranger took a deep breath and calmed down his nerves. "Okay, I will be right back with my stuff." The Stranger turned around and went straight upstairs to his room, quickly entering to look to see his old tattered backpack he had yet to replace. Checking inside quickly, he made sure he had his remaining medical supplies along with a couple of other goods. Seeing everything was in order, and picked up his bag and prepared to exit the room.

He then stopped halfway between his room and the hallway, and slowly walked back inside to stand in front of his wardrobe. He dropped his stuff down and opened the doors of the wardrobe, revealing his multiple coats and a mirror to show his current condition. He still looked like he just got out of bed, and felt disgusted for seeing it… which felt weird questioning it.

"Well I can't go out with her looking like this!" He looked in to see a small comb and began to brush down all the fur that stood up, and made sure his fur was laid out in a nice flat pattern. After a quick few swipes of the comb, his fur was placed back into position. He put the comb back and looked at himself in the mirror again. For some reason, he decided to also check his teeth, making sure they were clean and free of any leftovers, which proved to be the case. He sniffed his body to make sure he did not rank of disgusting smells, and was glad to know he smelt clean as before.

The Stranger then rummaged through his variety of coats and was deciding which one was best to wear. "Okay, we are going outside somewhere, so which one looks the best for the occasion... Oh, this will work." He took out his signature brown leather coat, which he loved wearing, and dawned it quickly.

He observed himself in the mirror to see if he looked cleaned enough to go out, which he was satisfied with the results. "Alright, I am good to…" The Stranger then blushed slightly. "Wait… why am I so concerned about my looks? We're just two friends who work together and have decided to go out somewhere to sit and relax together, that's all… right?" The Stranger shook his head and removed the thought. "Yeah, it doesn't mean anything. I'm just keeping up my image for her… I-I mean for the town, of course!"

Closing the doors of the wardrobe and picking up his gear once more, the Stranger ran down the steps to see Flaky anxiously waiting to exit the house. She noticed the Stranger now looking sharper than ever and smiled seeing him so prepared to go outside with her.

The Stranger walked over to Flaky with a warm smile, and noticed she was currently carrying the basket. He reach out his hand and laid out his palm, "May I carry that for you?" Flaky smiled and gently handed the basket to the Stranger. The Stranger, now holding the completely filled basket with his right hand, stood up straight and looked at Flaky with a little smirk. "So, you know where we are heading out to?" Flaky nodded her head quickly and led the Stranger out the front door, moving swiftly to finally exit the house after a long wait.

After making it outside, the Stranger stood still and took a nice deep breath of the summer air, which he could tell fall will soon make its sign of appearance, but enjoyed the warm fragrance of the outdoors.

Looking behind to see Flaky securely lock the door behind her, she walked up and stood next to the Stranger, the two looking at each other with warm smiles. Flaky then began to take a short lead in front of the Stranger, in which he followed suit.

The short trek down the sidewalk was mostly silent, with a few words said here and there, normally observations that were made during their walk. The Stranger did not know what Flaky's intention was to just leave outside the house without any sense of fear. She appeared to be fine, but the Stranger was constantly on the lookout for danger, moving his eyes to see anything. Ironically, it's as if the two switched places on this one walk: Flaky the confident, and the Stranger the scared one.

Flaky could tell his tension was building up as they made their walk. She appreciated every bit of work he has been doing, and trusts him completely to get the job done, but was always worried about his health; he never seemed to learn that a break in life is sometimes necessary. Though she did understand his concern for safety, even though she tried to hide it, she was indeed scared of this trip as well. But she felt like a chance needed to be made, and decided to help the Stranger along the way.

Flaky stopped the Stranger in his spot to point out they have made it to their designated location: Happy Tree Park. The Stranger looked around, and noticed a good number of Tree Friends were walking about, despite how early the day was. It did indeed feel pleasant, and the day somehow appeared more peaceful than usual, but the Stranger still remained vigilant of the situation.

Flaky tugged on the Stranger's arm to get his attention, and gestured to follow her down the small path within the park, which he agreed to do so. They walked silently as before, barely saying anything to each other, and then stopped in the center of the park. The two stood still, sometimes glancing at each other, waiting to see if the other had anything planned.

The Stranger looked down at the basket he was carrying and looked upward to notice a large tree providing plenty of shade from the sun, and was conveniently planted next to a medium-sized lake. The Stranger made a small smiled, and tapped Flaky with his left hand. Flaky looked over to face the Stranger to see his observation.

"Why don't we set up by that large tree there? Seems like a good place for a picnic spot, don't you think?" The Stranger smiled at Flaky, and she answered his question with a nod. The two slowly made the short walk to the tree and stopped directly underneath. The Stranger then held his hand out to stop Flaky from getting closer. "Hold on, let me check something first… okay, I don't see any Ant mounds, so I think we're safe here."

Flaky rolled her eyes with a smile at the Stranger's move to be constantly vigilant for any sign of danger, but appreciated his concern for both of their well-being. The Stranger dropped his bag by the tree and lowered the basket safely onto the ground. Opening it gently, the Stranger pulled out a large blanket and laid it across the ground, making it smooth and flat without any wrinkles.

He placed the basket on the center of the blanket, and gestured his hand to Flaky to sit on the now properly placed blanket. "Ladies first." Flaky smiled and sat down on the soft blanket, and removed the sun hat she dawned earlier. Feeling the heat rising from the summer air, the Stranger also decided to remove his coat and lay it folded on the ground, feeling the warm air with less heat building up.

He sat down on the left side of the blanket and Flaky sat on the right. The Stranger leaned over to open up the basket to pull out a couple of sandwiches neatly wrapped in napkins, and handed Flaky's her slice with a smile. The two sat together a few inches apart, and looked around there area as they ate silently.

Tired of the silence, the Stranger decided to say something nice for the moment. "You know, I first thought this morning would be nothing but destruction and chaos by the time we got here, but it does seem a little peaceful out today…" The Stranger took a bite, swallowed, and looked down to his legs as he sat Indian-style. "I'm sorry about being very cautious this morning. I hope you understand it's only because I am trying my best to protect everyone every second of my life. It's a job that I have to stay serious with, but I guess I can take it too far." The Stranger looked over to see Flaky eating, but was giving the Stranger a nice smile. She understood completely.

The Stranger looked out across from the lake to notice a variety of unique looking Tree Friends walking together, whom all seem to be on a nice romantic morning together. The Stranger made a small chuckle and swallowed his bite. "Lots of couples out today… so what does that make us right now?" The Stranger looked over to see Flaky chuckle at his remark of the situation, though secretly blushed as well.

After the Stranger finished his sandwich, he had a plan to help keep the conversation moving. "Hey, I have been here for about three months, and your name, along with Petunia, are the only ones I know. Since we have some people walking around, you think you can help me know some of the local people?" Flaky finished her sandwich, and gave a wide smile as she moved closer to the Stranger. He nodded his head, happy to see she was willing to aid him.

He looked back out across the lake to notice the variety of couples walking around. He instantly noticed Petunia, the blue skunk, whom he already knew. Next to her happened to be the orange beaver with a construction hat who lacked hands, which he saw blush at the sight of her in the Stranger's second day in the world at the cafe.

He pointed his finger towards the couple and leaned his head towards Flaky. "Okay, that blue skunk I know is Petunia. So who's that orange beaver?" The Stranger looked over to see Flaky ponder how to answer with her language, and came up with an idea. She took out her hand, and tapped on it at a slow pace. Between each tap, she said the letter 'D,' and said this multiple times.

The Stranger scratched his head and repeated the motion. "Hand… D… Hand… D…" The Stranger than snapped his fingers. "I got it, Handy!" Flaky smiled and nodded her head. The Stranger, though, looked over to see the beaver and had a confused look on his face. "But… he has no hands." Flaky shrugged at the statement, confused as well about his name.

Continuing onward, the Stranger looked out to see another couple: a pink chipmunk and a yellow rabbit. The Stranger pointed his finger towards the said couple. "Okay, that pink chipmunk's name; do you know it?" The Stranger looked over to Flaky, and noticed she was giggling for some reason. "What are you giggling about? I am just asking what her…" The Stranger placed his hand over his face in embarrassment. "Let me guess… its Giggles, isn't it?" The Stranger looked up to see Flaky nod, showing he was indeed correct. The Stranger looked out to see the pink chipmunk doing exactly what its name was: giggling. "Yeah, if she stopped dying in front of me all the time, she would be fun to be with."

The Stranger then went to point his finger to the yellow rabbit. "Alright, the yellow rabbit with those pink bunny slippers, you got a name for-" The Stranger stopped speaking as Flaky moved the Stranger's arm upward to lean in close to rub against his right side, and let his arm wrap around her. She brought herself in close and went to cuddle against him while having his arm holding her around her back and laying on her right shoulder.

The Stranger's face turned into a noticeable bright red, and looked around to see if anyone was around to notice. While he did give Flaky a friendly hug once in a while, he never had Flaky come on to him this way before, especially this close. The Stranger looked at her with his eyes wide open, and stuttered as he tried to find words to answer the question. "Um… i-i-is it… um… uh… C-C-Cuddles?" Flaky nodded her head slowly as she rested herself against the Stranger. However, instead of moving back to her spot, she stayed right next to the Stranger, still cuddling on his right side and shoulder.

The Stranger sat and watched her just lay her body against him, and was in a loss of thought on wondering exactly what he was supposed to do now. He then looked over to observe Flaky's quills, which were still sharp to the point. Curious about trying something different, he moved his hand from her back up to the top of Flaky's quills, and began to slowly run down at a flat angle against them. Surprisingly, taking the slower approach and moving at an angle did not cause him to sustain any cuts, and actually moved through like hair. Somewhat enjoying the moment, he continued to weave his hand through her quills up and down slowly, brushing off some of the small white flakes and pulling the hair-like quills gently at certain intervals, which made Flaky sigh in pleasure.

The two sat together in the same position for almost thirty minutes, with the Stranger brushing Flaky's hair-like quills and Flaky lying her body against his right shoulder. The Stranger then felt even more flustered as Flaky moved in closer, getting more tighter against his side as she laid her left hand on his leg. The Stranger's face went red again and was having an inappropriate feeling beginning to arise on him... at least a feeling that should stay in the bedroom and not be shown in public.

To avoid any embarrassment, and to keep up with the movement of the day, the Stranger leaned over to Flaky's left ear. "Um… Flaky…" Her eyes slowly opened after closing them for some time. She then received a burst of energy after she realized what she was currently doing, and instantly brought herself away from the Stranger and moved herself over slightly, brushing her quills and looking away while her face turned red of pure embarrassment. The Stranger laughed at the sight. "Oh come on, you looked adorable!" Flaky looked at him with a little smirk, and made a little chuckle of her own.

The Stranger leaned back and placed his arms behind him to prevent his back from falling to the ground. He sighed in relief, and looked up to the sky. "You know, today is a great day to be out here. I'm glad I listened to you, Flaky, you really know what to do to calm me down whenever I'm troubled. Thank you." The Stranger looked over to see Flaky, still a little red from earlier, but was giving a warm smile, and nodded her head.

She spoke clearly with a short set of words again. "You're welcome."

The two looked forward once more to see the beautiful reflection of the lake, enjoying the beauty nature was offering them this moment. The silence was broken again, however, not by speech, but the sound of a little duckling. The Stranger sat up and smiled at the sight of a cute little duck walking slowly up to them, not caring about the fact that these two creatures were not its mother. It continued to make little quacking sounds as it walk straight up onto the blanket they sat on.

The Stranger leaned in and grabbed the baby duckling softly, holding it gently and brought it up to Flaky to see. "Flaky, look, it's a-"

"AHHHHHHHH"

Flaky jumped to her feet in a heartbeat, and made a sprint to hide behind the tree they sat underneath from. She was shaking in fear, despite the day going so peacefully, and was faced with once again her paranoia of some of the littlest things being dangerous.

The Stranger was confused about the situation, worried about the day to turn south because of a little duck. "Flaky, what's wrong? It's just a little duckling. Come over here." Flaky shook her head quickly and still hid behind the tree. The Stranger sighed in disbelief, sad to see Flaky in such a position, but decided not to give up. "Flaky, listen to me. I promise it will not harm you, I will not let it harm you. Just come over here slowly so I can show you."

Flaky was still scared of the sight of the little duck, but she trusted the Stranger's word. She walked out from behind the tree and took baby steps towards the Stranger, taking brief pauses every time the duck made a sound. She got up right next to the Stranger, and was getting a very clear view of the creature.

The Stranger then safely placed the duck in his right hand and used his left to grab Flaky's right hand by surprise, making her jumped and yell quietly. The Stranger turned to face her with a serious expression. "Flaky, it's okay, you're doing fine. Just give me your hand." Flaky was getting even more scared, her heartbeat going to levels that should not be reached, but slowly let the Stranger guide her hand down next to him.

With the right distance between her hand and the duck, the Stranger placed the duck carefully on the hand of Flaky, and let it rest gently on it. He then brought Flaky's other hand next to the one holding the duck, and placed them together so the duck at plenty of room to rest in.

Flaky's eyes slowly began to not show fear, and was being replaced with the expression of happiness. As the Stranger had his hands around hers, the duck nested inside her set of hands, and she felt amazed. The fear inside was slowly fading away, and was now holding something she thought would harm her.

The Stranger smiled at Flaky, easily noticing her fear being washed away. He felt like he had to say something, so he sat on his left knee and stood on his right foot facing the duck. "Flaky, I know we live in a scary and dangerous world, in which there are plenty of things to be scared of. Believe me, I get scared to, especially when I'm out here. When I'm in this world doing my job to save all of you, I get scared thinking that I may fail and have someone die in my hands, or that today may be my last day as I get killed by something I did not expect. Fear is a natural feeling that sadly exists in all of us, which is okay because it is normal to be scared of a few dangerous things, as it keeps us alert and prevents us from doing something that may be too dangerous, or perhaps stupid, that could get us hurt."

The Stranger leaned in closer as he still kept his eye on the duck. "But there are some things in life that we have no need to be afraid of. In fact, it is these things that we aren't afraid of that we should look after for. Some of these things can make us happy, and it's something worth protecting. Some of the small things in life, like this little duckling here, can represent something bigger that we must protect as it means a lot in life, which is something we don't need to be afraid of."

The Stranger slowly brought Flaky down to him and looked straight into her eyes. "Flaky, I promise I will not let anything hurt you as we stay in this world, and I will do everything in my power to get you and everyone else home. That is a promise I intend to keep, and you can trust me on fulfilling it."

Flaky gave a happy smile hearing the Stranger's promise. It meant a lot to her to hear someone so willing to protect not just her but everyone else, something she has now begun to realize being alive for so long that it was needed from the very beginning, and she is glad that it happened to be the Stranger to accomplish this.

The two then looked down to watch at the little duckling again, who was now resting silently in the hands of Flaky.

* * *

That one day in the park alone with Flaky gave the Stranger a new view on his stance in the fight. He did not want to do it just for himself, he also wanted it to free everyone else from the hands of an evil mad man. He realized that day that these people were just as innocent and scared as he was and deserved every right to return home just like him.

The Stranger did not agree with the mad man's words. He was not selfish, and he was not doing this just for himself. He wasn't going to use innocent people for his gain, not like what the mad man does for his entertainment. He was human, and he was not going to let some random person control his decisions or describe who he is. He was himself, and he planned to do only good for the betterment of everyone.

But something else came up to him that day too, something that has bothered him since the day he started working in Flaky's house. With every passing day he spends with Flaky, the more he feels more attached to her. Not in the sense of a physical relationship, but one that was emotional and symbolic. She started becoming this figure to him as a reason to fight: to remove the fear that laid in everyone in this world. Flaky began to mean more to him than just a friend.

However, that situation has bothered him as well. Being with her has made him happy to be alive, having a reason to live, and a person that supports him by his side every step of the way. He did not deny the fact that he was starting to have more than just friendly feelings for her, and he wondered if she had the same thoughts. Some days, the Stranger wanted to say something, having this want to further their relationship beyond just two friends.

The Stranger knew, however, it would never work. Not because he was scared to admit it (which he was indeed scared) but because he wanted to protect her. His life was a dangerous one, involving the risks of dying to save another and be part of a fight that is only between him and the mad man. The Stranger knew that, if he and Flaky got any closer, she could be more vulnerable to damage as she could get herself involved in the fight.

And he did not want her anywhere near this fight. She has no need or reason to be a part of it, and if she did get involved, she would most certainly die. The last thing the Stranger would ever want is to have Flaky die in a battle that he caused and something she did not have to be a part of. He did not want her to die because of his actions. And the only way to do that was to stay away from her as much as possible.

He did indeed love her, which is why he never bothered to admit it. It was better if she never got involved with him, at least there she was guaranteed more safety. But he did know one thing with this entire situation: he is determined to get her home, and that is what he plans to do, even if he must fight alone.

He closed the door slowly, and whispered through the cracks, "I promise."

The door was closed without making a sound, and the Stranger took a deep but silent breath as he walked back to his room. He entered slowly and quickly aimed for his bed, falling face first on top of the covers. Too tired to move anymore, the Stranger rested his head on the pillow, and went into yet another deep slumber.

* * *

The Stranger saw himself in the middle of Happy Tree Park, with no visible Tree Friends in the area, only the sounds of birds chirping and the rustling breeze of fall. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to notice Flaky, dawning a warm smile. The Stranger was happy to see her, and reached out his hand to hold hers, which she did without hesitation.

The two walked together in the lone park as no Tree Friends could be seen. They walked silently, being happy just to have each other's company. The Stranger then stopped and looked down with a nervous expression on his face. Flaky noticed and tugged on his arm to find out what was wrong. He turned his head to look at her directly, and spoke softly.

"Flaky, there is something I have been meaning to tell you for some time, but I never knew when it would be best to do it or if I would ever have the courage to do it. But I feel like I can say it right now." Flaky leaned in closer, awaiting to hear the Stranger's statement. "Flaky, I just want to tell you…"

The Stranger looked up and his eyes widen in horror. Just a close distance away from them was something dark, something huge in size, and something heading directly towards them. Getting a very close observation, it was a sight that scared the Stranger more than anything he had ever saw before.

It was a giant bear, huge in size covered with black fur that was surround by an aura of black ash and smoke. Its teeth were like razor blades, its eyes having an evil emerald glow, and its claws sharp enough to slice anything with a simple touch. It roared loudly, shaking the entire world and getting Flaky's attention instantly as she screamed in fear.

The Stranger instantly ran the thought in his head: was this the monster?! There was no time to question it; monster or not, it was not friendly, nor did it look easy to defeat. There was only one move they could make.

"RUN!"

The Stranger grabbed onto Flaky's left hand tightly and ran straight towards the city, hoping to lose the giant bear there. The bear could see two pieces of flesh moving, perfect for the taking. It made a dash for them, catching up to them fast with its huge legs that provided it to move far distances.

As the two ran, the sky turned red and dark, and the city morphed into destruction, with buildings on fire and debris lying across the streets. They ran through alleyways and took turns across streets, but the giant bear just jumped over obstacles or destroyed buildings completely to clear a path. There was nowhere the two could hide.

Their futile attempt to escape led them to the base of the giant tree that stood tall in the center of Happy Tree Town, with nowhere else to run. The two turned around swiftly with fear in their eyes as they saw the giant dark bear walking towards them, sporting a face of pure evil with its glowing emerald eyes and teeth that were drooling with blood.

"Flaky, get behind me!" The Stranger got in front of Flaky, letting her hide behind him. The Stranger stood in a defensive stance, ready for its next move. He believed that the giant bear would attack and kill him, leaving Flaky alone to survive. But the bear was somehow not interested into the Stranger, and raised its huge right paw to whack the Stranger to the side, throwing him a good distance away from Flaky and the giant black bear.

The Stranger landed on the ground far from Flaky, and got up to his feet quickly as he began to hyperventilate in fear. He began to run back to his original position to see another horrific sight.

The bear was now standing on its two hind legs, and was slowly morphing into the size of a Tree Friend with the shape of a regular bear. It reached down to the size of Flaky, and the aura around it flashed with red and black smoke. It opened its eyes once more to continue revealing the emerald glow that placed fear into Flaky's heart, and placed an evil grin to show its sharp teeth.

The Stranger continued to sprint, going as fast as he can to reach Flaky in time. "Don't you fucking touch her! Don't hurt her you bastard!" He tried to make it in time, but he knew he would not make it.

The dark bear pulled out a sharp Bowie knife out of its body, stained with countless amounts of blood that came from millions of innocent lives. He grabbed Flaky by the throat with his left hand, and threw her hard onto the ground, laughing menacingly as she was hurt. He reached down to grab her by the top of her head, and made her sit on her trembling knees as she silently pleaded to herself to not die.

The Stranger stood straight in front of the two, seeing Flaky whimper in horror as the black bear held the knife to her back. The bear looked up to see the Stranger, and gave an evil grin and slow nod.

"NO! DON'T-"

The bear slid the knife deep into her back, causing Flaky to scream and choke in pain, and slowly die as the knife dug deeper into her body, spurting blood behind. The bear then slide the knife out by letting the body fall over, revealing a huge gaping hole gushing out blood that was left by the knife. The Stranger stared in horror at the sight of Flaky's death, and looked back to see the bear preparing itself in a pouncing position. The Stranger took a few steps back, and was suddenly jumped by the murderous bear, and was going to kill him just like Flaky.

* * *

"FLAKY!"

The Stranger sat straight up out of his bed, breathing fast and heavily as he sweat in fear. He looked around quickly, realizing it was only a dream. Flaky opened the door quickly to notice the Stranger sitting in fear. She walked over and placed her hand on the Stranger's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

The Stranger looked to see Flaky still healthy and alive, which made him feel relieved to see her. He shook his head as he still took heavy breaths. "Sorry, Flaky… it was just… just a bad dream."

Flaky was skeptical of the Stranger's remark, but decided to agree with it. She got up and gestured the Stranger to come with her down stairs, which he nodded his head to show he will come soon. She exited his bedroom and he lowered his head as he shook nervously.

"Oh dear Lord, let it be just a dream."


	10. Ch 9: The Monster

**Chapter 9**

**The Monster**

* * *

The Stranger sat up straight on his bed, still panting heavily and his body sweating constantly as he continued to recall the nightmare of last night. What he witnessed was a sight so terrible and horrifying that it shook his body to the core. If his dream happened to be a vision of what is to come, if the bear he saw was indeed the foretelling of his next challenge, could he even be able to take on such a creature? Does he really have a chance to defeat a monster that fierce?

"It was just a dream, right? It was nothing but a terrible nightmare. There isn't a monster that exist like that in this world… right? I-it just isn't possible; nothing like that could ever appear… Oh dear Lord, please just let that only be a dream. I… I…"

The Stranger stopped speaking and took a few deep breaths. He relaxed his body and calmed his mind to a sane state. To clear his mind of bad thoughts, he got out of his bed carefully and walked towards the window, pushing away the blinds and opening it to let in a cool autumn breeze. The Stranger took a deep sniff of the air, and opened his eyes to see the beauty of the outside.

He placed his hands by his side and made a determined expression. "No. Dream or not, if this bastard exists, I can find some way to stop him. I survived the collapse of a tower, I have risked my life to save multiple lives in a single day, and I can do anything without fail. You release that monster, you son of a bitch. Show him to me and I will send its ass straight back to Hell." He slammed the window shut and made a determined nod.

He walked over to his wardrobe and opened it once more to reveal his wide variety of coats, a mirror showing his reflection… and a drawer, holding his new pair of pants that he acquired from Flaky. Eager to try them on, he went for the drawer and instantly pulled them out, and laid it against his body to envy the fine craftsmanship of his pants, just the right size for his kind.

The Stranger took his pants and placed his feet and legs in one sleeve at a time. There was a spot behind him that allowed his large tail to fit comfortably through, allowing him to wear his pants without pain. He took the belt that came with the pants and slid it through the empty sections of the waistline, and made sure it was tight enough to keep it up straight.

Having it nice and tight against his body, he observed himself in the mirror, seeing his new pair of pants attached neatly to his body. He smiled widely as he looked at himself in the mirror. "Well, it may not change my true form back to its original state, but this is as close as feeling human I am ever going to get in this world… Thanks, Flaky."

Continuing his routine, he combed his fur to a clean look like always, and grabbed his signature brown leather coat, now useful than ever thanks to the cool breeze of fall. After equipping his apparel, he closed the wardrobe and moved to his desk where he laid his gear.

To take account his gear was all in check, he opened his backpack to observe its contents both inside and out, which contained: A small med-kit containing a variety of medical supplies, a map of Happy Tree Town, a small pair of binoculars, a notepad with a pen attached to it, a pocket knife with a few additional tools, his digital watch, a lighter, a small canteen filled with water, a cheap flip-phone, a circular compass, and Flaky's quill he kept the day he pulled it out of his arm.

"Damn, it looks like I am preparing for the fucking Apocalypse." He placed his watch on his right wrist, his phone in his left pocket, and the pocket knife in his right pocket. Making sure they were in place, he closed his backpack and picked it up by the handle. "Well, if shit starts raining from the sky and everyone is losing their minds because, say, some red guy and his gang is kidnapping everyone, I'll be ready."

Seeing he was completely prepared, he exited out of his room and walked downstairs to the kitchen to meet up with Flaky, wide awake making the morning's breakfast. The Stranger smiled at her ability to wake up at such an early hour yet so eager to get moving. "Good morning, Flaky. Slept well, I hope."

Flaky turned around to see the Stranger, wearing the new pair of pants she has given him, which made her feel happy to see him already enjoying his gift. She gave a warm smile and a quick nod, and gestured him to sit by the table.

The Stranger kept his smile and sat at his usual end of the table, dropping his backpack by the leg of the table and sat comfortably on the chair. He leaned in and placed his arms on the table in a crisscross position. "I'll just take one slice of toast today. I have an itchy feeling to get to work early today."

Flaky sighed and shook her head with a smile, still silently concerned of his work habit but still happy to see that he cared for their lives. As instructed, Flaky prepared him a small slice of toast and a glass of milk, which he enjoyed with his breakfast every morning. He smiled at her with a joyful look, and began taking a sip of his glass of milk.

Flaky sat down on the opposite end of the table and laid out her own plate of breakfast, which consisted her usual set of eggs. The two silently ate by the table, which made the Stranger uncomfortable, seeing how she has went to work already to make breakfast. He tried to think of some kind of conversation to start, and swallowed a bite of his toast.

"You know, Flaky, today will be the official day that every unique Tree Friend here in this town will have survived a minimum of 30 days. A one-month average period of survival for everyone in this world. Flaky, I swear with every day of saving these people, we are getting ever so closer to our real homes, and it just gets easier and easier by the day." The Stranger smiled as he raised his glass of milk, which Flaky returned doing the same to toast to a minor victory.

The Stranger than lowered his glass and went into a deep thought. "Come to think of it, it has been getting too easy. Many of the mad man's moves have proven to be less dangerous and easily preventable, and some days he barely sets off any situations. One day, the only observable observation was Disco Bear, and the best way to stop that is to punch a dick in the dick. Seriously there is nothing left of the guy." The two both chuckled at the statement, the Stranger more so since it was the truth.

The two were then interrupted by the sound of the doorbell of Flaky's house, and the Stranger made an attempt to stand up before being instructed by Flaky to sit, which he happily obliged. He sat and watched her walk carefully to the door to open and see a generic Tree Friend acting as a newspaper boy, and handed Flaky today's headlines. She waved goodbye to the friendly Tree Friend, and gently closed the door.

The Stranger was suddenly surprised as Flaky began to jump up and down in excitement, and started running over to him while tapping the paper. The Stranger placed a confused look on his face, wondering what the excitement was all about. "Flaky, what is it? Something good happen recently? Is it bad? What is the big news?"

Flaky dropped the newspaper in front of the Stranger and pointed to the headline on the side of the paper. "Carnival."

The Stranger listened to Flaky's word and examined the section of the paper she was pointing at. He looked closely and read the small headline for the news.

_Fall Carnival at Happy Tree Park! Gate opens at 10:00 AM. Open all week!_

The Stranger nodded his head and took one more sip of his milk before placing it before him. "Well, I guess we know where are next course of attack is now, don't we?" Flaky nodded her head with a smile, and the Stranger return with a smile and nod of his own.

Feeling completely rejuvenated and prepared for work, he stood up from the table, placed the chair back into position, equipped his backpack over his shoulders, and gave Flaky a short hug. "Thanks for the wonderful breakfast, Flaky. I'll be back soon." He let go of her and made his way towards the front door.

He then stopped and look behind him to see Flaky grab her own coat for the cool weather and her sunhat, about to place it on her head. The Stranger shook his head. "Flaky, what are you doing?" Flaky stopped her movements and gestured to the Stranger with her hands, stating she was going with him to the carnival.

The Stranger stood and began to run a set of scenarios in his mind. His dream came back to haunt him, seeing Flaky die right in front of his eyes and was not able to save her in time. He felt terrible seeing the sight. And it all started at the park itself.

He mumbled to himself softly. "It was just a dream, it was just a dream, it was…" Despite trying to talk himself out of his next move, he just could not shake the nightmare out of his head. Feeling depressed by what he was about to say, he tried to place a determine look to cover his scared expression and spoke to Flaky, looking down at the ground while doing so. "Flaky… I… I think it might be… best that you stay here… today."

The Stranger looked up with his eyes without moving his head to notice the disappointment in Flaky's eyes, sad to be told once again she cannot come with him. The Stranger felt sick seeing her like this, and was disappointed in himself. He was treating Flaky like a child, being overprotective and controlling her own life choices.

He walked up to her and gave her a warm and tight hug. "I know you're upset now, Flaky, but I am just doing this as a pre-caution. Besides, it is open all week. If today goes smoothly, I will take you to the carnival tomorrow, and we can do anything you want that day, okay?" He moved his head back to look at Flaky, and made a small smile as she nodded slowly, still a little upset to be forced to stay in her home again. The Stranger nodded and let go of her. "Don't worry, Flaky, we will go out and have fun together again another time. Just keep the doors lock, windows closed with the blinds covered, call me if you need help, and stay safe. I will be back around five, okay?" She nodded, and he return with a nod as well.

The Stranger made it for the door once more and exited outside, closing the door slowly behind him. He stood on the front steps of the house, and took a few deep breaths to capture the cool air. He then looked down sadly, and shed a single tear.

"I just need her safe… just for a little while longer…"

* * *

After a couple of minutes taking a small stroll on the sidewalk, the Stranger came across a small hill that gave him a perfect view of Happy Tree Park. One day, it was empty, filled only with a few citizens walking about and conversing with each other. Now, standing in the center of the park, was a huge carnival filled with rides, game stands, and a large circus tent, all bustling with activity. Nearly all of Happy Tree Town was there, having a carefree morning.

It was also a good opportunity for the mad man to strike and create a simple mishap that could cause chaos throughout the carnival, killing hundreds of innocent Tree Friends. It was the perfect trap.

The Stranger took a deep breath as he watched the carnival from a distance. "Alright, asshole, you want to play this card? Fine, I'll play one of my own." Clearing his mind and stretching his body to get his muscles working, he took the short trek towards the front gates of the carnival, and took a stand in front of a toll booth.

What stood between him and the carnival itself was a small gate that opened for those who paid a small admission price. He looked at the center to notice the toll booth, which was currently being run by the Mole himself, looking downward at today's newspaper… while holding it upside down.

The Stranger walked towards the booth with a grin and waved his hand. "Good morning, Mole. It's sure a lovely day to spend time at a carnival, don't you think?" The Stranger could not tell if he was smiling or not due to his purple turtleneck coat, but he did tip his uniform hat to the Stranger acknowledging his statement.

Seeing that the Mole recognized him, he reached for his pockets, but came up short after he realized he left his wallet back at home, with all of his change inside. The Stranger started thinking about what he could do to get through, and then shook his head at a terrible plan he had now created, but decided to go forward with it.

He walked around carefully by the booth and made it towards the gate entrance and, at an incredibly slow pace, slid through the slinging gate without making a sound. Making it towards the other side, he faced around and gave a tiny salute to the Mole. "Have a great day, Mole!" The Mole tipped his hat again, and went back to reading the newspaper.

The Stranger looked down and shook his head in disgust. "I'm not a bad person for abusing his disability, am I?" He snorted and looked back up to see the carnival. "Well, I only did it for a noble cause, so that could justify it."

Now inside the boundaries of the carnival, he made his journey to reach the center of the area. His plan was simple: patrol the carnival around the clock while observing any kind of dangerous activity or signs that could foretell future troubles. Anything from a simple loose bolt on a ride could cause major destruction, and he had to be there to identify it before it was too late.

Reaching the center, he took a count of all the unique Tree Friends that occupied the carnival, checking each of their positions to see if it could cause any trouble for other Tree Friends. He dropped his backpack gently and opened it to retrieve his notepad and pen, and began to observed his environment.

"Alright, Fall Carnival, around 10:30 AM. Plenty of activity today, possibly every known Tree Friend is in this location. Occupations, what do we got? Well, Splendid appears to be off in another part of the world 'saving' the day, so he is excusable. Mole is currently handling the toll booth, so he isn't a threat. Lumpy is just a carnie handling a game, so he is no threat. Handy is working with construction and maintenance, so I don't see trouble there. I see Cuddles over at the circus tent handling a cannon, possibly being a daredevil; may watch him but I trust his risky attitude. Russell is handling some kind of pirate show, so he's okay. Pop and Cub are walking together, no problem there. Lifty and Shifty are stealing prizes at game booths… don't know why, they are cheap in quality in the first place, so they prove no danger. Sniffles is not handling any machinery, so I don't have to worry about him. And all the other Tree Friends are just enjoying their day."

The Stranger stopped writing and looked down sadly. "Well… almost everyone." He placed his notepad into his backpack once more in agitation. "Damn it, man, why are you being so over protective of her? Flaky is her own person and can control her own life. I'm doing exactly what I am trying to stop, and that is controlling over the way another person should live." He brought his backpack over his shoulders and sighed. "I'll make it up to her. I just want her safe for now before letting her enter this place."

Clearing the disappointing thought out of his head, the Stranger progressed through the carnival and continued his patrol. While still observing the Tree Friends closely, he aimed more for the buildings and structures for signs of danger than the actual Tree Friends themselves, which they tend to be the cause of their own mistakes and deaths. However, with close observation of every structure, he could not identify a single problem, not even a loose bolt on a ride. In short, the carnival seemed to be the safest place in Happy Tree Town.

Which made it more suspicious than ever. If people were placed into positions that have a less likely chance to kill them on their part, and no structures in the area appeared to be in dangerous condition, then what exactly could cause trouble? The Stranger had a gut feeling there was indeed something that would bound to happen today at the carnival, so he continued his patrol despite the current safety conditions.

* * *

For hours walking through the carnival, the Stranger observed his environment multiple times, always keeping a watchful eye on every Tree Friend and every structure currently standing. With every passing minute, it became clearer that the carnival was completely safe, and no one had yet to be injured in some form. Cuddles was able to perform his cannon routine multiple times without injury, Splendid never came, Lumpy did not had a position all day that could cause pain for others, and Sniffles was practically doing nothing. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

The Stranger made it to a park bench that was set up in the middle of the carnival and took a seat, resting his legs after a long day of patrolling. He brought his right wrist up to observe his digital watch, which read 3:41 PM. He still had a couple minutes of work to perform, but decided to continue it from his current position. If trouble was not shown before this point, it could be concluded that trouble occurring now would be minimal.

He looked around his spot to see what his current position could show. There was a game booth that involved using darts to pop water balloons at the other end of the stand, which Toothy seemed to have caught an interest in. Pop and Cub were at an ice cream stand being managed by Cro-Marmot. And in the center of his view was Mime being… well, a mime.

"God, I hate mimes. They are like French clowns. They scare the shit out of me and they don't even have to make a sound to do it. I'm keeping my eye on you, you son of a bitch."

Staring at Mime for a short time, the Stranger began to feel drowsy, and started to bring his eyes to a close. His wish to get some additional time to sleep would not be granted as a large ringing of a bell went off, shaking his body and sending him to a quick alert. He looked around, trying to pinpoint where the sound could have emitted from.

Looking next to the dart booth, he noticed a bell tower that tested a person's strength with a large hammer to ring the bell. He hadn't seen one in such a long time, and looked at his arms to check his own current state of strength. A little curious to try out the game, and his mind in a state of complete boredom, he brought himself to his feet and began to walk over to the game.

But, as the crowd of Tree Friends began to be cleared from his view, he saw a unique figure near the bell. Looking closely, the Stranger saw something that sent his mind into complete confusion, as the sight alone did not make any clear sense to him.

Standing right next to the bell tower stood a light-green bear, about the size of Pop, wearing a military BDU jacket and a beret, standing strong and proud by the bell. To the Tree Friends, it appeared he was just another person. To the Stranger, however, he was a completely unique Tree Friend he had yet to observe.

"What the hell? How long has this guy been here? Did I just miss this guy for over six months and just noticed him now? This guy definitely is no generic; that uniform and look of his, he must be another person."

Now more interested in the green bear than the bell tower, the Stranger made his way towards the 'new' Tree Friend. Looking at him, his occupation appeared to be a carnie as he handed over a foam finger to Handy… who apparently was the one that rang the bell. Seeing that he had no hands, he walked off with anger on his face, leaving the bear to be standing confused by the game.

Ignoring that situation, he walked straight up to the green bear, who had yet to notice the Stranger's presence. The Stranger observed his movements, and could not make out anything wrong with him. He was a grown adult, his uniform clearly showed he was military, and actually seemed to be kind and happy like the others. In fact, he acted as if he could not even pull the wings off a butterfly.

And yet, despite his unique appearance, why did it take this very moment to notice his very existence? His character looked like he would stand out most from all the other Tree Friends, so how did the Stranger miss him?

Thinking ahead of himself, the Stranger shook his head and waved his right hand. "Good afternoon, sir, how are you?"

The green bear was caught by surprise by the sudden speech of another person, and looked up to finally notice the Stranger. He quickly placed a smile on his face and waved his right hand saying 'Hello.'

The Stranger noticed he was already showing a state of kindness, acting like a clean gentlemen. He also noticed he was wearing a nametag by his jacket, which read 'Flippy.'

He talked to himself silently. "Flippy, huh? Why would he be given a name like that?" The Stranger ignored his question and continued his conversation. "So, Flippy, I have yet to see your appearance in this town before. Are you a new resident?" To the Stranger's surprise, Flippy shook his head. Flippy was not a new arrival. So what was he?

"Really, you don't say? Well, I guess we must always miss each other at the last moment then, huh?" Flippy was a little confused, wondering what the Stranger was trying to point out… and actually who this person even was. The Stranger realized he was going too far into the conversation, and made a small chuckle. "Oh, excuse me, I must have forgotten to give you a proper introduction of myself." The Stranger cleared his throat and reached out his right hand. "Hello, Flippy, my name is-"

_POW!_

The loud sound of balloon popping scared the Stranger slightly, almost thinking it was the sound of a gun being fired off. He turned around to face the nearby dart game, noticing Toothy enjoying his time throwing darts at the balloons. The Stranger calmed down his body and made a small laugh.

"Ah, darts. You know, I would very much enjoy playing those types of games, but I was never really… good… at… darts?"

The Stranger could not help but stand confused and speak slowly as he watched Flippy's movements. For some reason, Flippy was starting to tremble and twitch, and his breathing picking up in pace.

The Stranger was getting worried slightly. "Hey, Flippy, what's wrong?" His words were not being registered as Flippy's breaths began to deepen in volume, his body twitching even more violently, and his eyes changing into an emerald color.

The Stranger took a step back while raising his hands slowly. "Flippy, seriously, what is going on?!" The Stranger's eyes began to widen and started taking faster breaths as fear built up in his body. Looking at Flippy, his body was continuing to transform, his breaths making the sound of evil, his eyes completely changed into an emerald green, his body arching downward into a pouncing position, and his teeth changing into razor sharp blades.

And he was staring straight into the eyes of the Stranger.

"Flippy, seriously, simmer the fuck down! You look like you're about to flip…"

_Let's just say that this monster can be a little 'flippy.'_

The taunting and threatening words from the mad man last night rang in his head. The Stranger looked directly at the face of Flippy, and took note of his sharp teeth and emerald eyes, remembering that the evil monster from last night had the same appearance. The Stranger then took one more final glance at his nametag, which read 'Flippy.'

The Stranger stood terrified at what he was seeing, hearing the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears as time felt like it had frozen. He did not think it was true, and always thought it was just a bluff, but it was indeed real. There was no denying it, the proof was evident.

Flippy, a green bear who first had an outer appearance of a peaceful Tree Friend, who looked kind and gentle and only wanted to be a good person with everyone.

Was the monster.

"OH MOTHER OF FUCK!"

The Stranger braced his body with his hands straight out in front of him as Flippy lunged towards him, pushing him onto the ground hard. As the Stranger laid on his back on the dirt ground, Flippy stared straight into his eyes with pure evil, sending fear throughout the Stranger's body as he watched. Flippy began his attack onto the Stranger, using both his fists to punch the Stranger's sides of his face.

The Stranger kept feeling the constant heavy blows, his face getting bruised and scarred as he was being beaten senselessly. Building up adrenaline and strength, the Stranger used his legs to kick Flippy off his body, throwing him off to his left side. The Stranger rolled right and got on his hands and knees, feeling his face as blood slowly dripped down from his nose.

As the Stranger started to breath heavily from the major beating to his face, he slowly looked over as his head trembled to notice Flippy was already standing tall over him. He looked at him with his evil grin, showing off the sharp teeth that could chew the flesh off any person.

He then pulled a large Bowie knife from his jacket, and let it reflect light from the afternoon sun. It was possibly the biggest and sharpest blade the Stranger had laid his eyes on, and it shook the Stranger with horror.

Trying to make a futile attempt to stand back up, the Stranger was kicked in the head by Flippy's right knee, sending the Stranger back to the ground to lay on his back side. Flippy than dropped onto the Stranger as he slung his knife to his neck. With quick reflexes, the Stranger grabbed hold of Flippy's right hand that was holding the sharp knife, and struggled to push it away from him.

Flippy laughed as the Stranger tried to save himself, even though it was not a worthy attempt. The Stranger tried laying his head back as far as he can, having terrible thoughts of how his life may very well end right now. He closed his eyes as he continued to struggle in the fight, and the knife began to touch his neck.

Flippy than relaxed his body as he looked up into the sky, as if a sound was heard in his head.

_Don't bother killing him. Go after his friends._

Flippy smiled widely at the mad man's demand, and looked back down at the Stranger. The Stranger looked at Flippy with confusion, wondering why he had stopped bringing the knife to his neck. Flippy then grabbed the Stranger's neck and gave a massive head-butt to his face, almost sending him into an unconscienced state.

The Stranger slowly opened his eye as it was bruised severely, and saw Flippy swing the knife one more time towards the Stranger. He closed his eyes and accepted defeat, crying sadly in his mind as he failed his mission.

Flippy, instead of aiming for the Stranger's neck, went and landed the knife between the small sections of clothing of the Stranger's coat underneath his left arm, sending it deep into the ground. The Stranger looked over to see the knife stuck through his coat, and tried getting up as the knife kept his position locked into place.

The Stranger looked at Flippy, staring at the Stranger, and turned around towards the direction of Toothy. The Stranger watched Flippy walk with a heavy march, staring at Toothy who had no idea of his incoming doom.

The Stranger began to pull the knife out from the ground as it was stuck deep into his coat and made him stuck to the ground, and looked at Toothy with a scared and worried expression. He knew what was bound to happen, and he was unable to get to him.

He yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping to attract Toothy's attention. "Toothy, RUN!"

The purple beaver turned around confused to notice the Stranger laying on the ground all beaten up in the facial area and a knife pinning him down. He also noticed Flippy walking up right up to his face, and stared down at him with his evil emerald eyes. Toothy was too scared to make out the situation, unable to make a decision of what to do.

Flippy decided to help Toothy's decision by slamming his right fist into his gut, dropping Toothy to the ground gasping for air. He dropped a couple of darts in his hand, and noticed his small slingshot in his back fur pocket. Smiling as he devised a devilish plan, he grabbed the slingshot and a couple of darts to use as ammunition.

He brought Toothy back to his feet, who was holding his stomach as he gasped for air. Flippy ran back a few feet, and placed the dart on the slingshot. He raised it up and pulled back on the sling as a dart laid perfectly straight, aiming for Toothy's head.

Toothy looked up slowly and noticed Flippy aiming the dart at him. His eyes opened widely with fear and screamed in horror, pleasing Flippy in his rampage. He fired the slingshot, sending the dart straight into Toothy's right eye. It hit dead center into the blackness of his eye, gushing and spurting out blood. He screamed in pain and placed both his hands over the dart, attempting to pull in out.

Flippy, enjoying the sight of his prey dying slowly, fired another dart into Toothy's exposed left eye, doing the same amount of pain and damage. Blood began spurting from both of his eyes, and he screamed at the top of his lungs with his mouth wide open to let out a huge volume of agonizing pain.

Smiling at his last target, Flippy fired the last dart not for Toothy's forehead for a clean headshot, but inside his opened mouth. It went straight through, going straight to the other end of his throat. Toothy's gag reflex kicked in, and he vomited large amounts of blood over the ground with small chucks of acid and guts. He dropped face first into the large pile of vomit, his eyes still gushing blood, and bled out onto the ground.

Flippy laugh menacingly at his successful kill. The Stranger, however, stared in horror at the sight of the murder. It was the most disturbing sight he had ever saw, and proved instantly that Flippy was nothing more than a monster in disguise.

"Holy shit, the guy is a fucking maniac! He's nothing but a fucking psychopath!" The Stranger was finally able to pull the knife out from him, and went straight onto his feet as he held the knife with the blade facing downward. "I'm sorry Flippy, but I can't let a murderer like you live. You're a monster and I have to put you down!"

The Stranger ran forward as Flippy looked down at his kill with envy. The Stranger then slung the knife, aiming for the head of Flippy. To the Stranger's surprise, however, Flippy was prepared for his attack, and brought his right hand around to grab onto the Stranger's arm. He turned around to face the Stranger, and twisted the Stranger's arm to drop the knife and feel pain across his body.

Flippy held him with his arm twisted, and the Stranger cringed in pain as he stared at Flippy. Flippy then brought the Stranger's head over to the game booth, and slammed his head onto the table, causing a small cut on his head and massive head trauma. The Stranger felled back onto the ground, holding his head as he watched Flippy pick up his knife and a few more darts as extra ammunition.

The Stranger brought himself up slowly, cringing as he felt pain over his head and feeling blood run down his face. He noticed Flippy beginning to run off to continue his murder spree, and slowly brought himself back onto his feet. Flippy was becoming a challenge that he was not prepared for. He was worse than the monster he saw in his dream. And the Stranger ran thoughts of doubt of any possible success.

"No… I have to keep fighting!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his small pocket knife, puny into comparison to Flippy's Bowie knife. But it was his only weapon, and had to make it work. He looked through his blurred vision as he started to come back into clarity, and noticed Flippy was busy shoving down a large lit torch down into Mime's throat, choking him and setting his internal organs on fire.

The Stranger made his move and started running forward to Flippy. Aware of his incoming presence, Flippy picked up another lit torch and brought up a bottle of flammable fluid. The Stranger stopped in his tracks as he watched Flippy placed the fluid inside the cheeks of his mouth and spit it out through the flames of the torch in his direction, sending out a blaze of fire. The Stranger slipped back and fell to the ground as he raised his left arm up, nearly being hit by the full blast of fire, though his arm received minor damage from the large flame.

He laid on the ground and looked at his left forearm to see his fur had been slightly burnt, and some skin being charred. He felt it as the burnt skin created a short sting of pain. "Damn it, that stings like hell! " He looked up as he cringed to notice Flippy had moved his position to Cub and Pop, and was sent into shock as he watch him pick up Cub and snapped his neck without remorse.

Pop watched his own son be brutally murdered in front of him, and raised his arms up to plea for his own life. Flippy was still in his blood-fueled rampage, and has yet to be satisfied, thus, Pop's pleas were useless. To prove it, Flippy grabbed one of the popsicle sticks from the ice cream stand and shoved it straight into Pop's chest, piercing his body and taking his heart out to the other side, pumping the remaining blood slowly before stopping.

The Stranger, now just seeing two more innocent Tree Friends get murdered, got back on his feet and charged towards Flippy with his pocket knife at his side. Flippy looked over with a grin and watched the Stranger move in. He waited for the right moment and, as the Stranger slung his knife forward, he dodged to the side and grabbed his arm. The Stranger looked directly at him as Flippy kicked him in the back of his left leg, knocking him down once more and laying between the dead bodies of Pop and Cub.

Seeing his adversary incapacitated once more, Flippy turned around to see the large circus tent, with a large crowd currently enjoying a peaceful show. Seeing how everyone was there, Flippy believed it be only right to give a show of his own. With a deep evil laugh, and his sharp teeth showing his devilish smile, he made a dash for the circus.

The Stranger grabbed onto the stand and brought himself back on his feet, and looked down to see the dead bodies of Pop and Cub. He was breathing heavily, feeling sharp pain everywhere with every beating, and frantically thinking of how to stop Flippy. The Stranger looked over to see Flippy running for the circus, and already knew what his next move was.

"Damn it, Flippy, I don't have time for this shit! What the fuck is wrong with him!"

Shaking his head, he knew he had to keep trying to find a way to stop Flippy's murder spree. Getting the strength back in his legs, he followed Flippy's trail towards the circus, leading him to the front entrance, which was cluttered with Tree Friends trying to get inside.

The Stranger shoved his way through the crowd, much to the many generic Tree Friends' dismay. "Excuse me, coming through, trying to save your asses people!"

The Stranger entered the circus and could see the current event taking place. It was Cuddles, entering the giant cannon to be shot out into the air for everyone's amusement. To the Tree Friends, Cuddles was going to perform yet another risky move that pleased the crowd. The Stranger, however, knew this shot was not going to go as planned.

Handling the cannon was Flippy, who was still in his mad frenzy state that others could not identified, and was filling up the cannon with gunpowder. But instead of a tiny amount, he filled it up with a full barrel of gunpowder, beyond the safety limits of the cannon. The Stranger's eyes widen, already knowing that Cuddle's was heading towards his death without knowing.

The Stranger ran through the circus tent and made it to the center where everyone could see him. He reached out his left hand and pointed his index finger to Flippy. "Flippy, don't you fire that cannon you bastard! Stop what you are doing right now and just surrender peace-"

Flippy rolled his eyes at the Stranger's attempt for a peaceful arrest, and lit the fuse of the cannon. Flippy held his ears tightly, and the Stranger watched the fuse burn its way to the cannon.

He covered his head and ducked downward. "EVERYONE, COVER-"

A loud bang was heard that shook the entire circus tent, and the Stranger looked up to see the cannon completely destroyed due to a massive explosion, and Cuddle's have his body ripped in half while being flung straight out of the tent, screaming in pain as he felled to his death.

The Stranger got up again and notice Flippy laugh at yet another murder, and lit another match as he stared at the Stranger with a grin. The Stranger stood still and looked behind Flippy's position to notice a large pile of gunpowder barrels neatly stacked. The Stranger stared in horror as Flippy nodded his head.

Flippy threw the match behind him and the Stranger watch as time slowed down, following the tiny smoke trail of the match. The match landed on a trail of gunpowder near the barrels, and lit up in flames as it moved to the pile of barrels. He looked back as he closed his eyes and raised both his arms up, and felt a giant explosion go off within the tent. The Stranger fell to the ground from the shockwave of the blast, and his ears rang with white noise as the volume almost destroyed his hearing.

The Stranger looked up after the shockwave died down and opened his eyes slowly to see a huge fire now spreading, with Flippy absent as well. He noticed a large piece of the tent destroyed, and the pillars that held it up had been severely damaged, and were unable to hold up the significant weight of the tent.

As the flames moved up the tent, Tree Friends began to scream in fear, too scared to think up a way to save their own lives. The Stranger got back to his feet and looked for Flippy from his spot, but could not make out his position. Getting tense from losing sight of him, the Stranger made a side objective to get any Tree Friends out of the tent.

He raised his arms in the air and beckoned the Tree Friends. "Everyone, over here! Come to the exit now, let's go!" The Tree Friends gathered up to the Stranger near the center, and looked at him for support. The Stranger then made a dash for the entrance he came in, but was suddenly stopped by a falling piece of a flaming pillar, obstructing their exit.

"Shit!" He looked around and saw a back entrance on the back side of the tent, noticing at the same time the entire tent was picking up in flames. Smoke was filling up the tent, and building materials that held the circus tent up were starting to fall. Time was running thin. "Everyone, run!"

The Stranger ran through the crowd and across the circus ground, and looked up to see a falling wooden pillar. He jumped forward, almost being crushed by it personally, but looking behind him to see multiple Tree Friends be killed. A piece of metal pole landed next to him, and he looked up to see more parts falling on to him. The Stranger got up again and moved, still almost being hit by fallen building material.

He covered his nose, trying not to breath in the heavy and thick smoke from the fire that now reached the top. The Stranger heard a creaking sound, and looked behind him to see the tent beginning to collapse. His eyes opened in fear, and ran as fast as he legs could reach and jumped through the thin covers of the tent, landing face first onto the ground outside.

He rolled on his back to look behind him to see the tent collapse in a burning ball of fire, and heard Tree Friends scream in agony as the tent crushed their bodies and the tent burning them alive. No one made it out except him.

"Son of a bitch, not again!" The Stranger heard Flippy's evil laugh, and looked over to see him standing in front of a Hall of Mirrors, staring at him with that same evil grin. Flippy then entered the maze, and left the Stranger filled with agitation and anger. "You get back here you fucker!"

The Stranger jumped to his feet and picked his knife back up once more. Taking a deep breath, he once again followed Flippy's trail in just a miniscule hope to stop him. He stood outside the Hall of Mirrors, and looked inside to see a maze completely built with many different mirrors, aligned perfectly to confuse the person where the path was.

The Stranger gulped as he slowly entered the maze, getting an unsettling feeling that Flippy was watching him somewhere. He looked around his environment, seeing his bloody face and sore body as he watched the mirrors for Flippy's appearance. He grasped his knife tightly, and took deep breaths with every slow step.

"Come on, Flippy, let's cut this shit now and talk this over. Stop the killing now and we can sit and have a nice chat, find something to agree to and stop this violence."

The Stranger knew his words will be of no help, and kept his grip on his knife tighter. He bumped a few times into a couple of mirrors, confused on where the path was. He did not want to look down, as it would give Flippy enough time for a surprise jump.

The Stranger then stopped his movements. Something felt weird. He could sense the presence of someone. He looked over to his left to see a mirror that showed his reflection.

Along with a reflection of Flippy.

The Stranger's eyes widen as he gasped, and swung his knife around to hit Flippy, only to have his arm caught by him again. Flippy pulled the knife out of his hand and threw it on the ground, far away from the Stranger's reach. Angered by the constant fight, the Stranger slung his fist from his free arm to hit Flippy, only to have his fist be caught as well.

The two struggled as they were at a hold between each other, Flippy staring at the Stranger with the evil emerald eyes of his, and the Stranger looking at him with his bloody and bruised face. Flippy will soon get the better of the Stranger, and twist him around until he had his arm wrapped around his neck. The Stranger tried prying Flippy's arm off from his neck, but failed miserably.

Flippy then slammed his body against a mirror, the glass shattering as some of it cut open the Stranger's coat and causing small lacerations across his skin, making small trails of blood fall out. Flippy then threw his body to another mirror and to another, with each piece of broken glass and strong force bruising and cutting the Stranger, causing head trauma and intense pain across his entire body.

Bored of playing with his body, Flippy dropped the Stranger on the ground in the middle of tiny pieces of broken glass, getting slightly cut open. The Stranger cringed in pain as he breathed heavily, his body bruised, his face bloodied, and his clothes getting slit open, completely ruined from the pieces of glass.

Flippy, seeing the Stranger once again fallen onto the ground, ran out the exit of the maze, leaving the Stranger to lay down in immense agony and pain. He opened his eyes that had small amounts of blood on it, and looked up slowly as his body trembled. He noticed a small whoosh of a curtain, knowing Flippy must have exited outside.

"How… How the fuck… am I going to stop something… I can't even keep up with?!" The Stranger was breathing heavily, and gritted his teeth in pain as he got onto his hands in knees. He looked over and picked up his tiny pocket knife, and got back up on his feet, making cracking noises with his bones as he placed his body back into position.

He walked slowly to the exit curtain, and found himself back outside in the carnival grounds. But the sight he saw made him want to return back to hide in the tent.

In such a short time waiting, the Stranger noticed destruction and death everywhere. Dead bodies of Tree Friends laid across the ground. Booths and rides completely destroyed and lit up in flames. The screams and cries of Tree Friends were heard as they died slowly.

All of this destruction that occurred, all of the death and mayhem that was caused under fifteen minutes, was all done by one little green bear.

Flippy was truly the monster he was described to be.

"Oh fuck… Oh Lord almighty, what the fuck has happen?!" The Stranger looked over to notice Flippy, struggling to kill Russell. The Stranger gasped as he watch Flippy grab the hook on Russell's hand to slit open his throat, making him gurgle with blood. To make matters worse, Flippy shoved Russell's own hook on top of his head, and pulled it back to rip out his brain, instantly dropping him to the ground and dying in agony.

Flippy laughed at his massive kill streak and major destruction, proud at his evil achievement. The Stranger, however, was far from pleased. "Flippy, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Why are you doing this shit?! What the fuck has gotten into you?! What..?"

The Stranger stopped speaking as Flippy looked up to see the Stranger standing still just a couple of feet away from him. He smiled with his evil grin and sharp teeth, and his emerald eyes staring into the Stranger's worried eyes. Flippy had one more move plan for his only 'adversary.'

He reached for his coat to pull out, not his Bowie knife, but Toothy's slingshot, along with three darts. He placed two of the darts between his teeth, and placed one on the sling of the small weapon. The Stranger watched him pull it tightly, and brought the slingshot up to aim straight at the Stranger, and gave an evil grin as he nodded his head.

The Stranger dropped his knife and raised both his hands up in surrender. "Okay, Flippy, calm down, we don't need to do this. We can end this situation in a peaceful matter. Just lower your weapon and we-"

Flippy fired the slingshot at the Stranger, launching the dart at a fast speed. The Stranger raised his left hand to protect his face, and the dart pierced his hand, the metal needle going straight through his flesh.

The Stranger cringed and yelled in pain, bringing his right hand over as his hand trembled in pain. "FUCK! Oh God damn it, fuck!" He looked at his hand, seeing the needle was showing on the backside of his hand, and small blood trails were pouring out in both ends. Not knowing what to do, he used his right hand to grab the handle of the dart on the palm of his hand and, with enough strength, pulled it straight out, dropping it instantly as the sharp pain ran through his body.

The Stranger grasped his hand as a small hole was left behind, bleeding faster with an open wound. The Stranger slowly looked up to notice Flippy had already loaded a new dart and, without second thought, fired another dart at the Stranger, which pierced through his right knee.

The Stranger cried in pain again as he fell on his left knee, and looked at his right to see the dart go through his pants and pierce the flesh and bone of his knee. Cringing in pain that almost sent him into an unconscious state, he grabbed the dart with his right hand and pulled it completely out, hearing a tiny 'pop' sound that almost knocked out the Stranger. He dropped the dart and watch a small blood stain build up within his pants on his right knee.

He took a few deep breaths and stood up slowly one more time, feeling woozy from the amount of pain he is currently suffering through. The Stranger moved his head with a tremble to face Flippy one more time, who had the final dart ready to fire.

The Stranger raised his right hand and spoke softly. "Please… don't…"

Flippy fired off the last dart, and landed straight into the gut of the Stranger. The Stranger had the air pushed out of him as the dart landed at his stomach, gasping for air as he stumbled back a short distance. The only sound he could hear was his heartbeat as he looked down at his body. The dart went straight through his thick coat and got stuck through his flesh. The Stranger felled to his knees, coughing a little as he could see a small blood stain build up around his stomach. The Stranger was in shock, unable to think of a plan to save his own life.

He would not have to think of any plan anyway as Flippy walked straight up to the Stranger sitting on his knees and grabbed his throat with his right hand. Flippy made a tight grip around the Stranger's throat, making a crushing sound as the Stranger began to choke. The Stranger was flinging his arms around, trying to pry open Flippy's hand from his neck while also reaching to hit him. Flippy smiled as the Stranger began to choke to his death.

Flippy slowly carried the Stranger around by the throat, watching the Stranger struggle with his legs and arms to get free. The Stranger began to lose energy as the lack of oxygen slowly started to kill him off, but still making a final stand to fight. Flippy placed his body against a wooden post high above the ground, watching his feet kicking around to touch the ground.

The Stranger started gasping for air as he could hear his heartbeat picking up in pace and his neck cracking at the sheer strength of Flippy's grip. Flippy then brought out his Bowie knife, and laid it against the Stranger's neck. The Stranger's eyes widen in fear, and began looking around quickly despite no reason to do it. He was in a state of panic, and was not prepared to be killed off now. But it seems that the end was nigh.

Flippy brought the knife behind him and made a tight grip. He then raised the knife high in the air and swung it forward onto the Stranger. The Stranger closed his eyes, too scared to face his death. But then he heard a large thud, and started to feel air enter his lungs again. He slowly opened his eyes to see Flippy let his grip go from the Stranger's neck, and looked up to see how he shoved the knife through the back end of his coat, letting him hang slightly above the ground.

The Stranger was breathing fast and heavily as he looked down to see Flippy drop his smile but retain his evil stare, and turned around to walk off into the destruction of the carnival. The Stranger looked down and sighed in relief, somewhat joyed that he was allowed to live by the mercy of Flippy.

But the Stranger would remove that thought as he looked up to see Flippy turn around and walk up to the hanging Stranger, and stared at him with no expression. The Stranger was confused and scared, wondering what Flippy was about to do.

Flippy then made a fist on his right hand, and hit the dart that was attached to the Stranger's stomach, sending it deeper into the body of the Stranger. The Stranger cringed in intense pain, feeling the needle inside his body go deeper and taking away more of his oxygen due to the massive blow. The Stranger could hear his heartbeat going at a fast pace, and his vision getting blurry with the constant pain and blood loss. He looked down to see the blood stain on his coat getting darker and thicker, with no signs of stopping.

Flippy chuckled and walked off, letting the Stranger hang on the pole to bleed to death. The Stranger watched Flippy walk off with his eyes half close. He then slowly looked around his environment, slowly speaking to himself in his head.

"He did it… He destroyed everything… He hid amongst the crowd and jumped at the least expected moment… He was a relentless killing machine that no one can beat, not even me… He is truly a monster… and he killed everyone."

_Not everyone, Stranger._

The mad man came back to haunt the Stranger's last hour. Who exactly has he yet to kill? Splendid was one character he had yet to kill, but he is off somewhere else and is invincible to physical damage, pushing him out of the equation. And everyone else was A.I. or generic Tree Friends who were not tied to his goal.

So that would only leave…

"FLAKY!"

The Stranger received a burst of energy after the realization of the currently remaining survivor in Happy Tree Town… and she was left home alone with no one to protect her. If the mad man was not bluffing, then there was only one conclusion: Flippy was going to kill Flaky. The Stranger had only a short time to get to Flaky, and hopefully find some way to stop him.

Thinking of something quickly, he looked up to see the knife, and slowly lifted up his right hand to grab the handle, wiggling back and forth to take it out of the post. After a short time messing with the knife, it popped out of the post, dropping the Stranger to the ground and fall on his left side.

With the knife on the ground next to him, he felt the sharp pain emitting from his gut as the dart was still jammed in his stomach. He looked down to see the dart, noticing the large blood stain on his coat soaking all the way through and now dripping out the other side.

The Stranger took a few deep breaths as he stared at the dart, and gritted his teeth with intense force as he grabbed the handle of the dart with his right hand. He pulled as hard as he could, feeling the needle slowly wiggle its way out of his stomach. The Stranger was cringing in agony, shedding tears of pain as the dart was being pulled out deep inside his stomach. After multiple seconds of pain that almost killed him, with one final pull, the Stranger was able to pull out the dart.

With the sudden release of the dart, the Stranger laid over again and went into shock, the intense pain almost too much for him. His eyes laid open and his body went into a limp state, with his mind still active. He could not move as the intense pain made him freeze, and could see a slow trail of blood roll across the ground from under him.

His vision began to blur and his heartbeat started to slow down, yet his mind stayed completely active, repeating the same phrase over and over again.

"Don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out…"

His hand began to twitch, and was suddenly able to form into a fist. He blinked his eyes slowly, and looked up to face the destruction again. He cringed as the pain moved through his body with every tiny movement he made. The Stranger forced himself to get to his hands and knees, and coughed heavily as his blood was draining out of him, evident by the small drips of blood coming from an open wound on his stomach.

He slowly brought himself to his feet, and wobbled back and forth until he was standing completely up straight. He laid his left hand with the tiny wound over his stomach, holding back as much blood as he could. The Stranger looked around through the destruction, death and flames of the carnival, and could see the exit.

The Stranger limped forward as fast as he could, and decided to make an additional move as he ran for Flaky's house. Remembering he had brought the cheap phone with him, he pull it out of his pocket and held it with his right hand. He flipped it open and enter the contact list, instantly dialing the house phone for Flaky.

The phone rang for some time, not getting any answer of any kind. The Stranger, feeling pain that would normally kill the average person, was getting scared and agitated.

"PICK UP THE FUCKING PHONE, GOD DAMN IT!"

The Stranger heard the sound of the phone being picked up, and heard Flaky's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"FLAKY! Flaky, it's me. Are you alright?!"

Flaky was confused, slightly scared by the Stranger's tone of voice and his question, but replied with a 'Yes.'

"Okay, good. Listen, Flaky, I need you to do something right now. I need you to barricade the doors, cover the windows, and hide inside your bedroom with the door lock."

The Stranger could hear Flaky breathing frantically, getting scared at why the Stranger was telling her to do such things.

"Flaky, calm down, I just want you to do that to protect yourself. Everything will be fine, just block the doors and hide in your room, okay?!"

Flaky replied with a shaky 'Yes' and was breathing heavily as she still held on the phone in fear.

"Good. Just do that and I will be home soon. Hide in your room, Flaky, just hide and I'll be there soon!"

He hanged up his phone and placed it back into his pocket. He limped at a faster pace, scared that he may not make it to her in time.

"Oh dear God, help me please. Please let me get to her in time."

_Ah, Stranger, I see you are making a futile attempt to save another Tree Friend._

The mad man returned to taunt the Stranger once more. "FUCK YOU! You stay away from her!"

_You know, Stranger, you have no one but yourself to blame. If you had just listen to my warning, none of this would be happening. I told you a monster would come, yet you just pushed it aside. I thought after months being here you would have grown up by now, but I guess I was wrong about that too._

"Get away from me you asshole! I don't want to deal with you!"

_Oh, but I want to make a deal with you, though. You seem quite attached to this young porcupine. So how about we make a deal that could be a win-win for both of us, hmm? If you stop this futile attempt to escape this world, quit trying to be a hero, return to the life of a loner, and follow my rules once more, I will not have my favorite toy kill off your friend… permanently._

The last word scared the Stranger. Did he really mean to kill Flaky off… forever? Could he really go off and do that?

"No! You stay away from her! Don't you dare fucking touch her or you will regret it!"

_That does not seem to answer my question, Stranger. Will you quit being the hero to save Flaky's life or do I let her die?_

"Stay away from her, just stay away you son of a bitch!"

_Answer the question correctly, Stranger. What's it going to be?!_

The Stranger had an expression of anger as he stayed silent, running as fast he was capable of doing.

_Your lack of an answer disturbs me greatly, Stranger. But I guess that is just the type of person you are. I hope you enjoy your decision, Stranger._

The mad man left the Stranger, and the Stranger himself went into a worried frenzy.

"Just hold on for a little while longer, Flaky. I'm almost home!"

After a couple minutes of running, he could see Flaky's house from a distance. But he was not the first to arrive, as he could see Flippy banging on the door hard with his right foot, each hit breaking it more and more.

The Stranger continued his sprint right up to Flaky's front yard, and noticed Flippy was only a kick away to enter the home.

"FLIPPY! You stop this shit right-"

Flippy turned around quickly to punch the Stranger in the face, knocking him down onto the ground. He turned back swiftly to kick down the door one final time, giving him entrance to Flaky's house. The Stranger looked up to see Flippy run in, and head straight for the second floor.

The Stranger got back on his feet quickly and ran inside the house. He could hear the sound of a door busting down, and he looked up in fear.

"FLAKY!"

He could hear the loud fearful scream of Flaky.

And then there was silence.


	11. Ch 10: Know your Enemy

**Chapter 10**

**Know your Enemy**

* * *

In the small little home that is Flaky's, there was only one sound being emitted: silence. The Stranger stood frozen in the middle of the living room, his right leg limp and his left hand covering the stomach wound on his body, trying to hold back as much blood as possible. His eyes were frantically moving around in a state of panic, and his breaths fast and heavy due to fear and massive blood lost, with no sign of stopping.

One moment, he could hear a cry of horror emitting from Flaky in her bedroom upstairs in her little home. The next, there was nothing. Not a single sound was evident inside the home.

It was as if the house itself was dead.

"Flaky..?" The Stranger spoke softly as he looked up towards the ceiling. "Flaky… are you…?" The Stranger swallowed his throat as his body began to shake violently, stuck in fear at the tragic thought of what lied ahead.

He looked forward, took one deep yet shaky breath, and made a step forward. His right leg kept his movements unsteady, and the terrible pain that laid on his abdomen caused him to drop down on his left knee. He took another deep breath, and look behind him to see his heavy backpack still attached to him. He removed it swiftly, the reduced weight on his body making him feel slightly more comfortable.

The Stranger pushed himself back up and limped forward once more, hopping on his left leg to keep moving. He became weak again as he entered the kitchen, and collapsed his body against the counter, gripping onto the edge of the counter to hold up his body. He kept breathing heavily, and turned his head to the right to see a lone steak knife. Thinking of what could still be in Flaky's bedroom, he grabbed the knife with his right hand, and made a tight grip onto the handle.

He pushed himself away from the counter and turned left to face the stairs that led to the second floor. The Stranger grabbed onto the side railings to keep his body stable, and slowly moved up each step one by one until he reached the hallway on the top floor.

His weak body caught up to him again, and he collapsed onto his left knee again, placing his left hand on the floor to prevent falling over completely. His vision started to blur and he noticed that blood was still dripping out from his coat. He looked up to see at the other end of the hallway and noticed Flaky's door was slightly opened. He was so close.

He gritted his teeth as he pushed himself back up and limped forward again. The Stranger kept his pace and breathed in fast intervals, trying to stay alive just long enough to help Flaky.

The Stranger now stood before the door, and looked through the cracks to see the room was shrouded in darkness, with not a hint of light visible. He took a few deep breaths and pushed the door with his right fist as he held the knife to open the door.

"Flaky… you-"

The Stranger whispered silently until he made a silent gasp to see Flippy on the right side of the bed, kneeling down silently, his Bowie knife lying beside him. The Stranger stood in fear, almost too scared to move forward as it could very well be a trap. But he had to help Flaky, and he took another deep breath to take one step forward.

But then he stopped in his tracks as he noticed something. Looking closely into the darkness, he swore he could see a trail of blood running down the back of Flippy's head. Observing even closer, he could trails of blood running down all across his backside. The Stranger could not make an explanation of how such a thing was possible.

He looked to his left to notice the light switch, and quickly moved over to use his left index finger to give the room some light. Upon activating the lamp that hanged on the ceiling, he looked over and dropped the knife in sheer shock at the sight of death that stood in front of him.

With light now giving the Stranger clear visibility, he could notice how Flippy obtained the huge quantity of small blood trails on his back. His entire body was punctured with red spikes, going straight through every part of him, from his face down to his abdomen. It was highly evident that Flippy was dead.

The Stranger then heard the near silent sound of crying, and walked forward a few steps to notice the body of Flaky… who was still alive.

"FLAKY!"

The Stranger cried loudly, catching Flaky's attention and turning around instantly, her face covered with fear and her eyes shedding multiple tears. As she moved, the body of Flippy moved with her, still attached to the large quills on her back. She screamed loudly to see the dead body attached to her, and cried even more violently.

The Stranger limped over to her and held her by her left shoulder. "Flaky, hold on, j-just face forward a-and I'll get t-this off!" Flaky nodded her head quickly and faced forward. As she did the Stranger's request, the Stranger grabbed onto Flippy's body and used whatever remaining strength he had to pull his body from her. He could hear the sound of organs and flesh shredding open as he pulled Flippy's body off Flaky's quills, and quickly dropped the body onto the floor.

He stared in horror at his dead body. His eyes punctured out, some of his organs hanging as they were pulled from his stomach, and dark-red blue covering him from head to toe.

The Stranger then instantly turned around to see Flaky on her knees, covering her eyes with her red hands to hide the fear and sadness from showing. The Stranger dropped to his knees to meet at her level, and wrapped both his arms around her to bring her body against his. She made a tight grip around his back, and planted her face onto his left shoulder, crying violently in fear. The Stranger rocked her back and forth as he weaved his hands through her quills, trying to hold back his own tears.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm here now, Flaky. I'm here and no one will hurt you now. I won't leave you. You're safe with me now, Flaky, it's okay… I'll… protect you… now…"

The Stranger began to weaken his grip and his voice started to drop in volume. Flaky stopped crying and pushed herself slowly from the Stranger. She looked down through her tear-filled eyes and gasped at the sight of the Stranger's abdominal wound. The Stranger saw her the shock on her face and looked down to once again notice his wounds. He made a sarcastic chuckle at the sight."

"Oh… t-this? I-it's just… a-another day at… the office. N-nothing that I… that I…"

Flaky grabbed onto the Stranger and dragged his down to lay against the wall. Without asking permission, she unbuttoned his coat and took it straight off his body. Upon removal, she noticed a medium-sized hole on his stomach, with a large pool of blood running out of it at a quick pace. His fur around the wound was dark red from dry blood, and the wound showed no sign of stopping from bleeding.

The Stranger could not hide the fact now that he was bleeding out. He slowly brought his right hand up and pointed down the hallway from Flaky's bedroom. "Med-kit… backpack… downstairs in the living room… go get it for me, Flaky." Flaky nodded her head quickly and ran straight out of her room to retrieve the medical kit.

As he watched her run down the hallway, the Stranger looked over to see the dead body of Flippy, blood still running from the multiple holes across his entire body.

The Stranger chuckled at the sight. "Hey Flippy… how you doing man? You good..? Yeah, I bet you are… being all crazy and everything. Bet you're a real… a real party animal, huh? Bet you're the kind of guy who… would use a cake slicer to cut someone's face off. Yeah… you must be a nice guy to be around." The Stranger coughed heavily and sighed. "Damn it, Flippy! Why… why did you have to make my life turn into even more shit when it's bad enough already? Why can't you be something easier..?"

The Stranger leaned back and looked into the ceiling, his vision starting to see light brighter than usual. "I bet you're just laughing your… your ass off at this, you bastard. Oh yeah, having fun, huh, with your little weapon and shit." The Stranger coughed once more and looked down. "How am… am I going to beat this thing?"

The Stranger suddenly heard the sounds of footsteps, and looked over to see Flaky coming up with the medical kit. She dropped straight in front of him and opened the box swiftly, pulling out a variety of medical equipment ready to be administered onto his body.

The Stranger raised his left hand open, clearly showing the tiny hold on the palm. "You know… what you're doing Flaky?" Flaky nodded her head as she grabbed a needle and some sewing material. The Stranger nodded his head and laid back. "Okay… I trust you."

Flaky began performing the emergency operation onto the Stranger. Despite how painful the operation could have been, the Stranger barely flinched as Flaky sewed up the open wounds, perhaps due to the shock his body was currently in. He looked up and down multiple times, seeing Flaky work immensely fast during the operation, performing the procedure with ease.

After multiple minutes of sewing, applying disinfectant and washing off the dry blood before applying a large supply of medical bandages, Flaky placed the remaining equipment back as the Stranger smiled. "Thank you… Flaky." She turned her head back to face the Stranger, and placed a scared yet happy smile to hear the Stranger's compliment.

She sat down in front of him, and placed her right hand of his left shoulder, watching the Stranger breath slowly. As she kept her hand on his shoulder, the Stranger ran multiple plans through his head, trying to figure out a new plan to deal with such a challenge. But, despite how smart his mind was, he could not think of a single way to stop Flippy's murder spree.

He gritted his teeth in anger. "God damn it! Why did I not listen?! All I thought was this monster was a bluff, and here he is now, a single guy who can fucking kill anything with ease. This one guy, who's nice once then evil the second, is a double whammy. I can't fucking make heads or tails of the guy, and there is nothing that can stop him during a fight!"

The Stranger smashed his fist onto the floorboards. "What's worse is the guy has a fucking invisible restraining order on all of us! That's how he is unbeatable. Thanks to how this world works, if I touch him, he will only come back the next day and kill us all again. So how can you beat this asshole if you can't lay a finger one him?!" He looked down and began to shed a tear. "My plan is to save every person in this world who is trapped into a character's body, and to make them see the truth. Flippy is a person, and thus I must save him. But instead of saving him from danger, I have to save him from himself. But how do I do such a thing if he is invulnerable to physical damage? I can't touch him, so how do I save him from… him?!"

Flaky shook her head, not knowing how to respond to such a question. The Stranger's plan is to save everyone and make them see the truth so he could break the world. Flippy is the last person he must save, but with his murderous personality, it is nearly impossible to save him. But the Stranger kept up with his thought. There is always a way to stop something. There had to be another way.

Perhaps maybe he needed to know his challenge a little bit more. Maybe if he had more info on Flippy, there could be a weakness or hole somewhere that he could use to help him. But he had to discover this himself. He had to go out there and find out what his enemy really was, and find a new way to fight back.

The Stranger shook his head back and forth and came up with the only idea he can make. He looked up to face Flaky with a serious expression. "Flaky, do you happen to know where this guy lives?" Flaky nodded her head without hesitation. The Stranger took a deep breath and tried to get up. "Good. Come on, let's get-"

As he tried to get up, he collapsed over due to the weak energy in his body. Flaky picked his body back up and placed him back against the wall once more. She had a worried look on her face, and shook her head at the Stranger as she said "No."

The Stranger became agitated by her response. "No?!" Flaky continued to shake her head. The Stranger looked down in anger. "Flaky, look. The monster is dead right now. He'll be dead for the remaining time until tomorrow morning. That means his house is empty and we have an opportunity to find out more of this guy. If we wait, he'll come back and kill us again. Flaky, we need to go NOW!"

Flaky just kept shaking her head, and lowered her head, looking straight into the Stranger's eyes. He could see a tiny glint her eye, and could tell she was begging him to stay. She placed both her hands on both his shoulders and gave a slow nod.

The Stranger breathed heavily and shook his head. "Flaky… please don't look at me like that. You… you know I-I don't like it when you look at me like that." Flaky kept the expression and did not move. The Stranger shook his head back and forth quickly until he hit his fist on the floor hard. "GOD DAMN IT, Flaky! Why are you so good at that?!"

Flaky did not smile like she did before with the same remark. The Stranger shed a few tears and took a deep breath. He then quickly looked up with a slight hint of agitation on his face. "Fine! I'll stay now. But tomorrow morning, as soon as we get up, we leave. I mean right we get up, we just go instantly. Bring breakfast on the way or whatever, because we must act now if we want to help this guy. You understand me, Flaky?!" Flaky nodded her head, but still held back a smile.

The Stranger nodded as he forced himself back up again. "Okay, let me just-"He stopped speaking as his body began to fall back on the floor again. But before he could hit the ground with a heavy force, Flaky caught him and brought him back to his feet. She brought his right arm to wrap around her back and helped him move forward. The Stranger made a small grin and nodded his head. "Thanks, Flaky."

Flaky helped carry the Stranger to his room and brought him straight to the side of his small bed. Flaky let the Stranger move the covers himself and slowly laid himself onto the bed. Flaky decided to place the covers gently over his body, and placed both his hands above his chest to give him a comfortable laying position.

The Stranger slowly closed his eyes and looked over at Flaky. "Thanks…" His body relaxed completely and started taking slow breaths. Flaky sat down beside him, just to watch and see he was still okay. Observing for some time, Flaky could see the Stranger cringe and shake in pain, his teeth chattering as he tried to sleep through the pain.

Upset at seeing such a terrible sight, Flaky leaned in to hold onto the Stranger's right hand with her soft and warm hands, and bent over to kiss the Stranger on the forehead. With the sudden touch of her tender lips meeting his forehead, the Stranger began to calm down, and his breaths going at a steady pace once more, no longer cringing in pain.

Flaky sat by his side for a short time, and watched the Stranger fall to a deep slumber.

* * *

The autumn breeze was strong this morning, the wind picking up in speed than the weeks before. The air was beginning to become colder, nearly making it impossible to walk out without a coat to keep warm. The start of winter was almost upon Happy Tree Town, and signs pointed to a possible brutal winter… with an incoming chance of death every day.

The bright early morning sun gave light to the world, but was no longer giving significant warmth. Its rays shining through trees and reflecting off the leaf-covered roads. It appeared to be a beautiful morning. But it was only a cover-up for what was about to come.

Coming over a small hill was the Stranger, both his hands in the pockets of his thick leather coat, and walking heavily with light pressure being made on his right leg. He stopped at the top of the hill, and stood strong as he squinted his eyes to observe the area.

His appearance was almost the same state back during his days alone in the alleyways. His face was scarred and bruised, with multiple cuts and lacerations on his skin. His left hand was covered with a thick set of medical bandages, with an even larger set hidden underneath his coat to cover is abdomen. His clothes was stitched up in multiple areas, dawning an appearance which would be better just to buy new clothes. The Stranger felt pain all over, but stood up straight to hide that fact.

Coming up behind him was someone who looked less dreadful. Coming up to stand by his side was Flaky, walking with a nervous smile while wearing… a well-tailored red dress (red seems to be a thing for her). She stood by the Stranger, grasping her right hand on his left arm. The two looked at each other briefly with a smile, and the Stranger looked forward.

"You sure this is the place?"

Down the small incline was a giant log built in the shape of a military barrack. It was constructed well, built with only one-floor in mind but structured perfectly.

Flaky nodded her head, standing by her judgement that this was indeed the location of Flippy. The Stranger took a deep breath and turned to face Flaky. "Flaky… you don't have to do this, you know? I am perfectly capable of finding-"

Flaky looked at the Stranger with a slightly agitated face and tilted her head staring at him. The Stranger shook his head, constantly knowing he can't beat her during a conversation. "Fine… but let's go over the plan just one more time."

Flaky nodded, prepared to be told the plan once more. "Okay, our goal is to gather as much of Flippy's past as possible in hopes to find some sort of weakness that we can use to help him with. There must be a cause for his personality, and we need to find out what. With that said, I suspect there must be a good number of objects or anything in his home to use as evidence or something to aid us. But he won't just let us in and rummage through his stuff, so we need to draw him out. That's where you come in. You called ahead, right?"

Flaky nodded with a serious expression. "Good. So, Flippy is expecting your arrival. You go up to his door, get him out, and you two go on a short walk through the park. While you are distracting him outside, I'll break into his house silently and gather as much evidence I can before he comes back. Once I grab the stuff, you return him back, and we will meet up in another area to discuss Phase 2."

The Stranger looked down at his feet for a short time before bringing his face up to look at Flaky, an expression of worry being noticeable. "Flaky, you sure you want to do this? You're absolutely sure you're okay going into something this dangerous for me?" Flaky smiled and nodded her head without hesitation. The Stranger gave a tiny smirk and let go of her hand. "Okay… go forward and we will begin."

Flaky nodded shortly as she began to walk off. But before she could make it past five feet of distance between her and the Stranger, she heard her name be called. "Flaky!"

Flaky turned around to see the Stranger his left hand out. He brought his hand back and gave a wide smile. "You… you look beautiful."

Flaky's cheeks turn slightly red as she blushed at the Stranger's comment, and gave a tiny smile as she continued walking. Seeing her making her way to Flippy's house, the Stranger look over to see some thick bushes near a large tree. Thinking of taking the stealth approach, and walked over and crouched down by the bushed, hiding his body completely.

He leaned over as he dropped his backpack down. Quickly rummaging through the blue backpack, he pulled out a small pair of binoculars and adjusted the vision to get a clear view at the short distance. Placing them up to his eyes, he could see Flaky knocking at the door of Flippy's house. A few moments later, Flippy came out, smiling widely while wearing a military BDU jacket.

The two nodded their heads as Flippy exited his house. He bent over to move over a rock to reveal a spare key, and used it to lock the door behind. Hiding the key back, the two walked side by side to head towards the park.

"I don't care how much of a nice guy you can be when you're not evil, Flippy. You could be the fucking return of the Messiah and bring peace to the world. But if you make Flaky feel uncomfortable in any form and touch her the wrong way, I swear to God, I will cut your dick off, shove it down your throat, let you choke on it until you die, and stand over your bed every time you respawn to slit your throat so you will never see the light of day again. That is a promise."

The Stranger closed his binoculars furiously and placed them back into their original location. He then brought the backpack over his shoulders once more and proceeded to move to Flippy's home.

Standing on the front steps of Flippy's home, the Stranger bent over to move the same rock Flippy used and found the same spare key. Using it quickly to open the wooden door, he brought the key back underneath the rock and entered the house with second thought.

The Stranger took a few steps inside the house, and closed the door behind him while locking it just to make sure Flippy knew no one would be inside his house. He turned around to get a clear view of his home. It was significantly larger in size than when viewed from the outside, almost as if the outside was just an illusion for what laid inside. It was beautifully decorated, with plenty of fancy decorations on the walls… most of which involved armor and weapons, completely fitting for Flippy.

"Damn, Flippy, whatever pay grade you had in the service, it sure as Hell is better than ours. Thanks America." The Stranger took close observation of his current position, suspecting he was in the living room. Nothing of interest was noticeable. "Well, if I am going to find out what's wrong with this guy, I need to look for anything that could relate to his personality or have dirt on his past. Perhaps the bathroom may hold some secrets… hopefully only in the cabinets."

The Stranger slowly moved through the house, carefully looking around the house for objects that could aid his goal while also admiring the fancy décor Flippy was lucky to possess. On his way to the bathroom, he came across a small display case on a shelf, which was currently housing a sharp Bowie knife still sheathed in its leather case. The Stranger patted his right pocket, but noticed it was empty.

"Shit, I lost my pocket knife back at the carnival mishap." He looked back down at the case and moved his eyes back and forth. "I'm just going to borrow this for a bit. As long as I return in back, it's completely justifiable." The Stranger snickered as he 'borrowed' the knife from the display case, and hid it carefully in his right pocket.

Now satisfied at stealing someone else's property, he proceeded to the bathroom just a short distance away. Entering inside, it was just a usual setup, filled with the average bathroom essentials, and was clear white in color. The Stranger moved towards the medicine cabinet over the sink, and opened it instantly. There was mostly basic medical and bathroom equipment stored inside… except for one bottle that stood out.

"What the hell?" The Stranger reached in and pulled out a small bottle of medical tablets, giving a long title impossible to pronounced, but was still obviously a prescribed medication. "Medication? Well, I knew the guy was insane, but I didn't know he was still taking medication for it. Yeah, seems to be working well on him." The Stranger placed the bottle back and closed the cabinet. "Well, he takes meds for his mind, so he is indeed messed up. But that doesn't explain how. Got to keep looking."

He exited the bathroom and looked around some more, searching room for room in hopes of finding any more evidence. After a short time of walking, he came across a personal office. There was a table filled with a variety of papers, and a couple of drawers on the sides. Curious of what could be found there, the Stranger moved toward the desk and sat down on the revolving chair behind it, which was quite comfortable.

Rolling up to sit directly behind the desk, he moved some papers around to reveal a calendar attached to the top of the desk. "Hmm, some listed events here. What do you have planned, Flippy?" Moving through the dates rather quickly, he found something that stood out. "Therapy session? The guy takes meds AND goes to therapy? What the hell does this guy have that forces him to take therapy?"

Continuing running through the drawers and the top of the desk, he came across an old yellow folder hidden deep in the bottom left drawer. Pulling it out while blowing off some of the dust, he opened it to find a variety of old documents. "Let's see if any of these could lead us to something here." Going through the folder, he noticed most of them were old documents dated years back, as evident by the yellowing color and the older font.

The Stranger then came across something that was very suspicious. "Draft notice?! The poor bastard was drafted?" He took the document out to see his name and other information, declaring he was indeed drafted for war. "Damn, this must have been awful. Being sent to a war he probably did not want anything to be a part of. I'm sorry that happened to you pal, it…"

The Stranger stopped speaking as another document caught his attention instantly. He pulled out a small piece of paper and placed the folder down onto the desk. What he saw gave him a new ideology of Flippy.

"Discharged?! He was given an honorable discharge? Wait… the guy was kicked out during his time in service? Well what the fuck for?! What happened?!" The Stranger placed the document back into the folder and cleaned up the mess that laid on the desk. "So the guy takes meds, has therapy sessions for something mental, forced into war, and was kicked out during his time. Something must have happened over there that caused him to be this way, but what the hell could it be?!"

The Stranger shook his head and got straight back up onto his feet, placing the chair back into its original position. He looked up and nodded his head. "Well, this leaves one last place to search: the master bedroom." The Stranger marched out of Flippy's office quickly and was able to pick out the bedroom in a heartbeat. He opened the door swiftly but carefully to admire the large bedroom.

It did earn the surname 'master,' as this bedroom was just like the rest of the house. Well furnished, neatly arranged, and large in size. The Stranger nodded his head as he took notice of the bedroom, completely shocked by Flippy's excellent choice in interior design.

Shaking his head and getting his mind back into action, he walked into the center of the bedroom and moved his head around slowly to examine the room. He observed every inch of the room, making sure not to miss a single detail, but nothing was popping up that showed possible interest.

The Stranger sighed, thinking this room was of no importance. He then looked over to see the side of the bed was a photograph about a nightstand, with a journal lying next to it. With curiosity filling his mind, he walked towards the nightstand slowly and stopped directly before it. He looked down and picked up the picture frame, and was intrigued and confused at what was inside the frame.

"Who are these guys?" Examining the photo carefully, he noticed a very young Flippy standing with two other figures, one a chameleon and another a mouse with bandages wrapped around his ears. All three were posed together in front of a military tent in a jungle, and were dressed in old-style camo battle fatigues… with a unique company patch on the left top of their shoulders. "Why have I never seen these guys around before? And what does that patch mean?"

He looked beyond the photo he was holding to once again notice an old journal, possible decades old as its cover was tattered and damaged, and paper aged significantly, but still peaked the Stranger's curious mind. Placing the picture frame to its original position, he picked up the journal and sat down on the bed next to him. He removed the strap that kept the journal tied together and took a gander what was written inside.

"I know this is definitely an invasion of privacy, but I'm just helping you out, Flippy. Now, is there anything… in… here…?" The Stranger leaned in closely then backed off as his eyes widen… with a hint of sadness growing inside of him. "My God… this could possibly explain everything. The meds, the forms… and that picture of him and the two others… and now I wish I never took the chance to read this." As he read the journal, his mind began piecing the evidence together in his mind of what happened… to poor Flippy.

* * *

_Flippy was placing a variety of home essentials inside a dusty duffle bag, his face expressionless as he moved quickly to gather up as much of his stuff in time for work. Getting all of his gear together, he nodded his head proudly and placed the bag over his right shoulder. As he made a determined smile, he turned around to see a tall green female bear, sobbing quietly as she watched Flippy pack up his things._

_ Flippy walked up to the female bear and gently placed his stuff on the ground before him. "Mom…" Flippy moved in closely to give his mother a tight hug. "Mom, don't cry, please. It's okay, I'll be fine."_

_ Flippy's mother leaned down to give an even tighter hug, still crying slowly as she held him in her arms. "I know… I know…. I just wish… that you didn't have to do this. You shouldn't have to go… I don't want you to go."_

_ Flippy looked up to his mother with a smile. "Mom, you know I can't run from this. My country needs me now, more than ever. My father fought when he was called, and his father fought when he was called-"_

_ "And both of them never returned… they never came back again." She cried for a few minutes, still holding onto Flippy. "Sweetheart, I don't want you to go and never come back… you're so important to me, and I don't want to lose you too."_

_ Flippy was disheartened by his mother's words, but couldn't help but feel sad as well. He himself knew that this war was bad, and wanted just as much as his mother did just to stay out of it. But he had no choice._

_ He gave his mother one more tight hug, holding back a tear that just wanted to come out. "Mom, you won't lose me. You will never lose me. I will always be with you, no matter where I am. And I will come home again, I promise." He closed his eyes and shed a tear. "I love you, mom, and I will never forget you."_

_ Flippy's mother shed a tear alongside her son. "I love you too…"_

* * *

_ "Let's keep moving, ladies, time's wasting! You want to prove yourself that you have the guts to take down the enemy head on without crying like whiny little bitches? Then show me everything you got!"_

_ Inside a military training camp out in the jungles of unknown territory, Flippy was in the middle of a drill session alongside dozens of other drafted Tree Friends. Some were easily prepared, such as Flippy, while others showed clear evidence they could not make the cut. But they had no choice but to suffer through the training, even if it was impossible._

_ While doing all of their basic drill instructions, along with basic infantry movements and attacks, a tall brown bear wearing a green jacket covered with ribbons and a dark-green beret with the patch 'W.A.R." on the center, was observing the trainees from a tall tower. Next to him was a green squirrel dawning a doctor's uniform, and was holding a clipboard while writing an unknown set of notes._

_ The brown bear stood determined, and spoke without turning his head. "What about him? Could he be a valuable agent for the cause?"_

_ The squirrel shook his head. "Sir, he may have the highest rankings ever seen from a single recruit, mastering in all fields of weaponry, combat situations, navigations, and practically everything else, I just don't think he is capable of doing this."_

_ The bear turned around with no expression on his face. "Why, doctor? Why can't a perfect cadet like Flippy be incapable of taking this position?"_

_ "Well, looking through background checks, we have a medical history showing his mind to be a tad bit… unstable."_

_ The bear cocked his head to the right, holding his hands behind his back. "How so?"_

_ "Well, sir, it is nothing major in the sense of causing a catastrophe. It's just that he can be… angered easily. There have been a couple of reports of him getting into physical fights with other cadets, but he was always able to back himself off on his own. Still, despite his ability to control himself now, if he goes out into combat and sees what lies on the battlefield, his condition could worsen."_

_ The brown bear shook his head. "Look, condition or not, Alpha Squad is down a member and we need a good recruit who can fulfill the role, and Flippy there is about the best damn cadet to show up in months. If it's fine now, then I see no problem placing him in."_

_ The squirrel acting as the doctor sighed in disbelief, and nodded his head. "Very well, sir. I'll send a form to Command to certify Flippy as a proper candidate for the Weaponized Animal Regiment, and they can ship him off to meet Sneaky and Mouse Ka-boom for future assignment." The squirrel gave a salute to the brown bear, which he addressed back. Both then returned to their proper positions._

* * *

_ "Alright, Alpha Squad, listen up here, because we're only going this over once."_

_ Flippy, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-boom were sitting on metallic chairs in a dark room, sitting beside an old projector displaying a presentation. At the front of the room holding a large stick was the brown bear from the training camp, and was walking back in forth in a slow march._

_ "Operation: Tiger Bomb, that's the name of the game here, gentlemen. After a successful scouting run, we have intel that states Tiger General will be meeting up in a secluded bunker in the deep sections of the jungle here," the bear wacked the stick he carried against the wall, displaying a map showing a red circle in the jungle areas. "The job can't be any simpler than this. With minimal enemy activity in the area, Tiger General will be practically be left in the open here. This gives us the perfect opportunity to attack the base stealthily and kill the bastard without wasting a large sum of resources. That said, your mission, Alpha, is to move in from the south and keep a lookout for Tiger General's arrival. When he shows up, it is up to you to carry out the remainder of the job. In short: move in, kill Tiger General, and leave without setting off a major conflict."_

_ The brown bear faced Flippy, who sat eagerly as he paid close attention to the screen. "Flippy, with your skills proven to be excellent during all training exercises, and as our latest agent of W.A.R, I want to see how you can handle a military operation at this caliber. Thus, you will be the Leader during this operation. We look to you now, Flippy, to make this mission a success. You think you got this?"_

_ Flippy jumped to his feet and gave a proud salute. 'Sir, yes, sir!"_

_ The brown bear gave a small smirk and nodded his head. "That's what I like to hear. You have your orders now, Alpha. Make it count. Dismiss."_

_ Sneaky and Mouse Ka-boom got onto their feet, and looked over to Flippy with a smirk. They all gave a quick nod, and moved forward with the mission._

* * *

_ "Alright, I can see the son of a bitch now." Flippy was sitting still with a pair of high-powered binoculars up to his eyes, getting a close and clear view of a tall bunker. Making a complete analysis of the area, Flippy could see a military jeep pull up to the entrance of the bunker, with a tall blue tiger in an officer uniform exiting the passenger seat. Two tiger infantry units gave a salute as Tiger General moved into his bunker, leaving the two to guard the entrance._

_ Flippy lowered his binoculars and looked behind him. "Sneaky, you go left. Mouse, you go right. Both of you will take out the guards by any means, just as long as they stay dead."_

_ Sneaky moved in closer. "Alright, so what are you going to do?"_

_ Flippy smiled and bent over to pick up a large pizza box. "I'm going to give that Tiger General a special delivery… a sharp one." Flippy nodded his head at his last three words._

_ Sneaky shook his head. "Flippy, you are always bad at making puns."_

_ Flippy shrugged, and then took his right hand to signal moving forward. All three now took their positions. As Flippy moved in carrying the pizza, he made a small chuckle. "This could not get any easier."_

* * *

_ "WE'VE BEEN COMPROMISED! Fall back, I repeat, FALL BACK!"_

_ Flippy was sprinting out of the bunker as a group of tiger infantry units were in pursuit. He was sent into a state of panic, fear, and humiliation, knowing that their compromised position was due to a misfire of throwing a pizza instead of a knife._

_ Still carrying the knife from before, he looked around angrily and threw the knife. "Eat this you assholes!"_

_ The knife surprisingly missed the group of the tiger infantry units and instead his the wall of the bunker. But upon striking the wall, a splatter of blood occurred. The body of Sneaky then became visible, showing that the knife had punctured his stomach and has now nailed him to the wall._

_ Flippy stopped running and turned around to see the scene. "OH SHIT! Mouse!" Mouse came out from his cover and noticed the situation. Flippy pointed his hand forward to the group of distracted tigers. "Blow the fuckers up!"_

_ Mouse Ka-boom nodded as he threw the bomb at their direction. The infantry noticed Mouse's attack, and went into a full retreat in multiple directions. As Flippy moved in to pull the knife out of Sneaky, the bomb surprising came back out from the bunker and struck the hands of Mouse Ka-boom, now covered in a sticky cheesy ooze that prevented him from dropping the bomb._

_ "Hold on Sneaky, I almost got-"_

_ Flippy looked behind him to see Mouse Ka-boom screaming frantically in front of him, holding a bomb strapped to his hands. Flippy went into shock and continued to pull the knife out of Sneaky. With one quick pull, he removed the knife from Sneaky's body, but turned around to see he accidentally sliced open Mouse, causing his body to drop in half._

_ The bomb in Mouse Ka-boom's hand dropped before his bag of explosives, and Flippy stared in horror. "OH FUC-"_

* * *

_ Flippy laid down beside his dead comrades, now being the sole survivor of Alpha Squad. He looked around scared and sadden after seeing his close friends be killed and now lying dead before his eyes. As he stared at their dead bodies, Flippy could hear the sounds of incoming tiger infantry, and looked over to see Sneaky's body having an open hole to enter his body._

_ Flippy gagged and almost vomited across the ground, and started shedding a few tears. "I'm sorry Sneaky…" He crawled inside Sneaky's dead body, and laid silently as he could hear the sounds of enemy infantry surrounding him, not noticing him within the body of Sneaky._

_ Maggots began to crawl over Flippy, and blood soaked throughout his body. He started to shake, and his breaths picked up in pace. He closed his eyes as he started to grit his teeth, and yelled inside his mind._

_ "These fuckers killed my friends. All of them, every fucking one of them, EVERYONE KILLED MY FRIENDS!" He opened his eyes to reveal his new emerald colored retinas. "AND THEY SHALL ALL FUCKING PAY IN THEIR OWN BLOOD!"_

_ Flippy, with one deep and heavy breath, burst out of Sneaky's body, taking his ribcage with him. He looked around at the surprised group of tigers, and laughed evilly as his head shook violently._

_ "You fuckers want to party?! Then come on, let's fucking party!"_

_ After his final words, a massive killing spree was made, and only organs and body parts remained at the scene._

* * *

_ "Flippy?! Flippy?! Flippy!"_

_ A small squadron consisting of twelve recruits were searching through the jungle. With Alpha Squad absent from Command for over three days, an emergency rescue mission was called and multiple rescue parties were sent, looking for any surviving members._

_ One member was slightly ahead, holding his rifle up as he searched the brush of bushes and trees. "Agent Flippy, you here? Agent Flippy, do you..?"_

_ The rescue member stopped speaking as he heard a sound of something rustling in the bushes nearby. He moved forward slowly and pushed the leaves on the bush away, revealing Flippy, sitting down and rocking back in forth against a tree._

_ "Hey, everyone, I found him!" The rescue member waved his hands to his few squad members, beckoning him to come to his position. The rescue member then proceeded to move towards Flippy to assist him. "Agent Flippy, what the hell happen, man? You…"_

_ The rescue member stopped speaking as Flippy instantly moved his face upward, revealing his emerald eyes, razor sharp teeth, and blood stained body. He jumped to his feet, making a devilish laugh._

_ The rescue member moved back in horror at the sight of Flippy. "Agent Flippy, what the fuck happened to you?! You look like you've been-"_

_ Flippy lunged onto the rescue member, and pushed him onto the ground. The rescue member laid flat on the ground as Flippy placed his right foot onto his neck, pressing it tightly against the struggling rescue member._

_ "Flippy, I'm not the enemy! I'm-"_

_ Flippy twisted his right foot, cracking the rescue member's neck and killing him instantly. He bent over to grab out the member's large Bowie knife, and admired the beauty of its well-crafted design._

_ Another rescue member appeared from the nearby bushes with his gun lowered. "Flippy, there you are man, we- what the fuck!" The member looked down instantly to see his dead squad member, and looked up to see Flippy standing over his dead body. A second member came from the bushes and noticed the situation instantly. "Son of a bitch, the guy's fucking in-"_

_ Flippy threw the Bowie knife straight into the throat of the third rescue member, making him gurgle and choke in his own blood. The second member raised his rifle up quickly._

_ "OPEN FIRE! OPEN-"_

_ Flippy moved onto the second member and viciously attacked him without remorse. After his third kill, he proceeded to kill the remaining members of the rescue party, with loud sounds of gunfire being emitted._

* * *

_ Flippy was led by two doctors into a pure white room, wearing a strait jacket to keep his body locked together. He looked down at his feet sadly, sobbing silently as they placed him down in the corner of the room. They left him without saying a word, and closed the metallic door behind them, locking him in the room with no escape or communication to anyone outside._

_ The brown bear who led the W.A.R. operations was marching down the hallway of the hospital angrily, moving straight up to the green squirrel doctor who stood in front of Flippy's door. "Doctor, what the fuck happened?!"_

_ The squirrel was not affected by the bear's loud question and faced him seriously. "It's exactly what I warned you about: he went insane."_

_ The brown bear shook his head in anger. "What do you mean?! What happened out there?"_

_ "With all the reports being tied together, your operation to kill Tiger General proved successful but was costly, leaving Flippy the sole survivor."_

_ "They all knew the risks, doctor. There was never any guarantee of a clean victory on any mission."_

_ "I know, and they did too. But I warned you of Flippy's possibility of his mental disability to worsen and could lead to drastic side effects. Well… the death of his comrades on the field in front of his eyes has caused him to become a killing maniac."_

_ The brown bear placed his hands by his side. "So he now kills a bunch of tiger infantry. So-"_

_ "No, sir, it's worse. For some reason, his mind got completely caught up in the traumatizing event, that now he sees everyone as the enemy. If he goes into the rage filled person, he not only aims to kill the enemy, but friendlies as well. He just kills, and does it without remorse on anyone. It took us three rescue squads to subdue him. THREE squads, and he almost eliminated the third one as well."_

_ "Well, can we do anything about it?"_

_ The doctor sighed in disbelief. "Sir, we've tried everything. Medication, therapy sessions, exercises, everything, and none have proved successful. But there's also a problem here. Whenever we treat Flippy, he seems completely fine. He is sane, joyful, friendly, everything, you could swear the guy is the sanest guy in the world. But the moment you break a bottle, he goes into a complete rampage. Looking at it, he is two people in one. Which means whenever we try to treat Flippy, we are treating the wrong guy. Flippy isn't the problem, it's this other side that is. We can do all we can to 'control' his second self, but we can't cure it just through Flippy. But whenever we get his bad side out, it turns to shit." The doctor walked up to the bear and shook his head. "Sir, Flippy is unfit for service in his condition."_

_ The brown bear stared in horror, hearing that his most trusted recruit, who was recruited one day, was now leaving the next. "You sure there is absolutely nothing we can do to help the bastard?"_

_ The squirrel shook his head. "The best thing we can do is send him back home. Letting him stay here will only make him worse. At least when he is sent back home we can pair him up with medical professionals, and he won't have to fear about any signs of war to trigger his second self. That would be the best move, sir."_

_ The brown bear looked down and nodded his head sadly. "I'll send in an honorable discharge request for him, then. I just wished the poor son of a bitch didn't have to suffer like this."_

_ The two nodded their heads and walked off in opposite directions, leaving Flippy to cry violently in the lone white room._

* * *

_ Flippy was wearing his usual battle fatigues, sitting uncomfortably on a blue bus seat heading for home. He looked forward as he laid his old duffle bag on his lap. As he rode on the bus, he looked down to read the discharge papers he received, which gave him the worst feeling of mental pain ever. Knowing that his condition has worsen and was taken to levels to never be respected in the service again nearly killed him. He dishonored his entire family line who served and died, and will be forced to live with it._

_ But worse, he kept the mental memory of his friends dying in front of him, and he blamed himself for their deaths. He was given a simple mission and he failed miserably, killing his only friends who accepted him._

_ At least being at home, he could be with the one person who gave the love and affection he always cherished. The bus stopped in front of his home, and he carried his duffle bag and discharge papers with him. He stood in front of his home, and smiled at the sight, knowing he will be reunited with the best person in the world._

_ He ran up to the door with a smile on his face, and brought his hand to the door handle. But it was locked for some reason. His mother normally never locked the door. He shook his head and grabbed the small spare house key that was hidden underneath a rock and unlocked the door quickly._

_ He burst into the door with his arms stretched out. "Mom, I'm home!" He waited for a response… but none was given. Flippy stood confused and yelled out again. "Hey, mom, I'm home now!"_

_ He looked around his position, but did not see his mother come from anywhere… nor a single sound heard. He dropped his bag on the floor and walked to the kitchen. "Mom… mom, I'm home now, where are you?" The kitchen was empty, no one was there._

_ "M-Mom? Mom, where are you?!" Flippy began to panic and made a quick march to the bathroom. "Mom, you in here?! Mom? MOM?!" He opened the bathroom door, she was not there._

_ "MOM! Mom, I'm home, please come out and speak to me!" He turned around instantly and headed for the office room. "Mom, please talk to me! I need-"_

_ The office room was empty, no sign of his mother. "Mom, please… please, not now, don't do this to me, mom!" He went and ran to the last room he knew to go to. As he ran, tears started to run down his face, whimpering quietly as his mother could not be found._

_ "Please, mom, please, don't leave me like-"He entered the bedroom. The one last room inside the house._

_ And she was not there._

_ "M-mom… mommy… please…"_

_ He dropped to his knees and fell down into a fetal position. He grabbed on himself tightly as he rocked back and forth._

_ "P-please, mommy, don't leave me now… don't leave me…"_

_ There was never a response._

* * *

The Stranger closed the journal, a tear dropping from his right eye. He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Flippy. I knew you were mad… but I did not know that it was because of this." He opened his backpack that laid beneath him and placed both the journal and photo inside. "It's not his fault. He blames himself… but it was never his fault." He picked up his bag and placed it over his shoulders. "I think that's enough to know about him. I just have to find a way to help him."

Shaking his head one more time, and wiping one last tear from his eye, he walked out of the room, and left the house without looking back.

After a couple of more minutes of waiting, the Stranger could see Flaky and Flippy returning from their small walk through the park. He was glad to see Flaky was alright, with not a single wound visible on her. The Stranger noticed Flippy giving Flaky a tight hug, and the two nodded as they walked in opposite directions.

Flaky walked towards the Stranger's position, already seeing him prepared to go. "So… you two have fun?" The Stranger chuckled a little while Flaky gave a shrug and a smile. She then gestured her hand to him, asking if he did well. The Stranger nodded as he placed his hands by his sides. "Yeah… I know a little bit more of the guy now. Enough to know what the only way to stop him is."

Flaky tilted her head in curiosity, and gestures her hand once more to the Stranger. He sighed as he shook his head. "Going through the entire thing, there is actually nothing truly wrong with the guy. He himself is completely fine, but there's this second him that hides inside him but comes out whenever he is reminded of war. When that second guy does come out, he kills everyone I guess in a way to avenge his friend's death. He isn't killing innocents for fun, he just see's us as the enemy. Because of this second person that lays inside him and only comes out in certain instances, trying to 'cure' him is difficult"

Flaky nodded her head as she listened to the Stranger's explanation. "From what I've seen, they are treating Flippy. The Good Flippy. However, he is not the problem. Thus, giving him medications and therapy doesn't do shit because he's fine already. What we need to deal with is Evil Flippy. He's an entirely different person, and thus, the guy that actually needs treatment. But the only way to communicate with Evil Flippy is by pushing him out directly. This leaves me with a move that is both cliché, stupid, and possibly something that won't work, but is our only shot."

Flaky leaned in to hear the Stranger's new mission. "I need to get Evil Flippy out… and have an intervention with him, somehow make him know what he is doing is wrong, somehow make him realize what he is doing is something he doesn't have to do, or maybe make Good Flippy fight himself to clean him of his problem." Flaky backed off a short distance, shaking her head at the plan. The Stranger sighed. "Flaky, we don't have any other choice. We can't touch him, so the only way to beat him is with words. Talking is our only weapon here, and it's all we got."

Flaky looked down as she let out a heavy sigh, not enjoying the thought that this really was their only plan. To help save Flippy, they had to fight Evil head on… but not with actual weapons, but with words. Communications and making Evil know what he does is wrong and does not need to happen is the only method of attack they have in hopes of helping in. But with a monster like Flippy who is unpredictable in every way, and a second-personality so monstrous that it would be idiotic to even think of fighting, do they really have a shot?

The Stranger shook his head and looked up to the sky. "I have only one plan to try out on this guy. One plan. And if this one doesn't work… God help us all."


	12. Ch 11: Tame the Beast

**Chapter 11**

**Tame the Beast**

* * *

The sun was a quarter of the way down its way towards the western horizon, just a couple hours in the afternoon. The outside was practically absent of sound, with only the wind rustling leaves being audible. No traffic, no patrolling Tree Friends, nothing but the wind.

It was this silence that made the situation more horrifying than ever. Outside, walking amongst the innocent, was a horrific monster capable of mass destruction and murder. He hides in the crowds and devours life as its source of food. He could be out right now, being the one to create the empty silence covering the town.

Shortly after discovering Flippy's past life and retrieving a small sample of evidence, Flaky left Flippy at his home on the outskirts of town and regrouped with the Stranger, where a silent plan was made. The two returned back to Flaky's home, both expressionless but fear shrouding their minds.

The Stranger went upstairs to his room, leaving Flaky alone on the bottom floor to stay in her train of thought. The Stranger did not hesitate on what to do once inside his room, and instantly went for the supplies he kept in the corner next to his bed.

He knelt down on his left knee, dropping his backpack by his side and examined the variety to gear he could possibly use for his mission. He thought carefully, thinking of only the essentials he will be using. The Stranger needed to travel light, but also have enough supplies to get the job done.

The job was a task that looked simple on the outside, but was an impossible task went thought through in detail. The mad man had just unleashed his most powerful weapon, which, sadly, also happened to be another Tree Friend. Flippy was just an innocent person like everyone else, one who is in the control like the other unique Tree Friends. However, his past has caused him to obtain a deadly second person that goes on a rampage whenever the sounds of war are made.

One would think it would be best just to kill him, but that was the problem. Not only would Flippy would return back the next day, ready to kill once more, but he was also an innocent being like everyone else. Flippy was not the problem but his doppelganger was. For the Stranger to succeed, he had to save everyone. And Flippy had to be saved… from himself.

And that was a task the Stranger himself questioned the possibility of fulfilling. Seeing his strength firsthand, the destructive power he has, and the emotions he feels, it all made the Stranger feel as if it was impossible to tame, just as the mad man described. How does one take down such a beast with only words, to not lay a single finger on him?

But it was the only plan the Stranger could work with. To save Flippy, he had to stop his Evil self, and since his Evil self was attached to him, physical contact is out of the equation. This left him one weapon of choice: words. Trying to make a reasonable conversation with him was the only way he could stop him, and it only scared him greatly.

The Stranger observed the new set of gear he had packed, disguising it perfectly for his plan along with the tools necessary needed. He took a deep breath, made a silent prayer, and stood up tall, lifting the backpack by the top handle. With a quick nod, he proceeded out the open door of his room.

_Are you fucking serious, Stranger? Talking?! That's your plan of action? You really think that my greatest weapon is just going to sit and listen to you? Oh dear God, Stranger, I knew you have done some stupid shit in the past, but this here is just sad._

The Stranger stopped midway between his room and the hallway outside. He didn't move an inch for a brief time, then looked up without placing a single expression. "Well what choice do I have? My options are very limited, you bastard."

_And that's the best one you could possibly come up with? Using words as a way to stop him?_

"Physical contact is not a possible form of stopping him, so words are really all I got. What else could I do?"

_Simple: you quit this hero-bullshit nonsense and never bother attempting it again. You stop what you are doing, never think of doing this again, and go back to your original life._

The Stranger could sense a hint of anger and agitation building up in the mad man, which he somewhat enjoyed hearing. "You know, asshole, I keep wondering: why is my actions always pissing you off? Why is every time I do something, you go into a hissy-fit? And what about this? If this monster is unbeatable, why are you working so hard to stop me from fighting him?" The Stranger received no response. "Is it because it truly is possible to stop him? Is it because that if I die, you'll be back to your boring routine once more…? You're scared, aren't you, that I could still beat you. That's it, isn't it?"

As before, no response was given to the Stranger. He shook his head and looked up determined. "Hey, I don't know if I will succeed in this or not. I will admit, your weapon is powerful, but I still know it is not invulnerable. You know me, I am not the one to call quits. Win or lose, you don't get shit in the end. You can't control me from what I choose to do, and neither should they. I'm going out there, you son of a bitch, and I will continue fighting."

Silence was heard once more, before an angered mad man returned. _Fine then, Stranger, go and carry out your suicide wish. I hope you still remember that you only get to live once, and if you fail, I still get to keep my little toys for whatever purpose I choose. Maybe I will kill them along with you, making your death and your fight unjustifiable, being the reason they died. Go, Stranger. Go off and fight some more. I'll be watching with envy._

With his final words, the mad man left the Stranger standing between the hallway and his room. The Stranger waited silently for a moment, waiting to see if he would return, but he did not. The Stranger let out a heavy sigh, and proceeded to go downstairs to meet a distraught Flaky.

He stood by the bottom steps of the stairs leading to the second floor, staring with sadness as Flaky sat by the table, looking down with worry and fear. The Stranger always hated the sight of her this way. She's been this way for far too long, and he could not bear to see her like this. But, for this moment, he could feel the same way.

The mad man is correct. This practically was a suicide wish. The Stranger has one shot at this, and failure would mean the death of himself and possibly everyone else. Defeat was not an acceptable outcome, and yet it was highly possible. The Stranger was scared to death at the thought, and was just as worried as Flaky was for this situation.

But there was no choice. It was a now or never situation. And they both knew now was the time to act. The Stranger cleared his throat loudly, getting Flaky's attention by snapping her out of her worrying thoughts. The Stranger walked over with a fake grin, hopefully trying to cheer her up with some positive expression. It did not work.

The Stranger dropped his bag by the table and stood over Flaky, looking down at her as she looked up, shedding a single tear from her right eye. The Stranger breathed silently and went to his left knee to reach her level of eye-contact.

He looked down to notice her trembling hands, and reached his out to hold onto her right one. The Stranger grasped tightly while patting the top of her hand gently. He looked back up to her and gave a smile, this time truly meaning it, and nodded his head. "It's time now, Flaky."

Flaky wiped the tear running down her face with her free hand and stared back at the Stranger briefly. She did not want it to be now, nor did she want it to ever happen. It felt too soon for a situation like this to occur involving them, but she had to force herself to agree; this was happening, and there was nothing to stop it. With that mentality now in her mind, she nodded her head slowly, not making a single sound.

The Stranger let go of her hand, trembling less violently than before, which made him feel somewhat better to know she calmed down. He stood back up on his feet, and reached out his hand to lift her up. "You know the number to his house?" Flaky nodded silently as she grabbed his hand softly to be lifted up to her feet.

The two walked over to the telephone on the counter, located at the other end of the kitchen. They stood over the black phone, both staring with horror as if the phone would kill them at the touch. They breathed sequentially, and Flaky reached out and grabbed the handle of the phone. Her fear made her grab the handle with a tight grip, and trembled lightly as she held it in her hand.

She looked over to the Stranger, who gave a nod to acknowledge her it was time to make the call. Flaky swallowed her throat and went to dial the number's that would connect to Flippy's house. After a quick press of a few buttons, she held the phone up to her right ear, waiting silently for the sound of the phone making a connection.

Suddenly, she heard the first ring, making her jump from the sound. She quickly handed the phone over to the Stranger, who grabbed it and placed it by his own right ear. He heard the second ring, with no response from the receiver. He then heard the third ring, still no response from the receiver.

Finally, after the fourth and final ring, he heard the voice of a terrible creature that hid on the other side of the phone. "Hello?"

The Stranger and Flaky's eyes widen greatly, both scared at the sound of Flippy's voice. The Stranger's heartbeat started to increase in pace, and swallowed his throat before he spoke. "H-Hey, Flippy. It's me!" The Stranger took a very brief pause, trying to remember the plan he made that suddenly disappeared from his memory due to the shock his mind was sent into.

He ended up deciding to roll with the conversation, making it up as he went along. "Say, um, Flippy, I was thinking that maybe we could do something together." The Stranger could hear Flippy making a questioning grunt, getting his attention. The Stranger had to think up of a plan to help Flippy and stop his Evil self. To do this, he needed to seclude him far away from town and somewhere quiet and peaceful. Somewhere where it would be just him and Flippy, and placed in a situation he would agree to.

The Stranger came up with one shortly after Flippy's questioning sound. He rubbed the back of his neck as he hoped silently it would be convincing enough. "Well, I have been in this town for many months, and I happened to meet every Tree Friend in this town and got to know them personally. However, I somehow never managed to know you. So, I was thinking, perhaps we could go out somewhere to know each other, say, at the campgrounds over at Happy Tree Forest. Just you, me, and plenty of time to know each other as friends. What do you say?"

There was a long pause, with no answer coming from either lines of the phone. Flippy was dead silent, and the Stranger began to sweat in anticipation as he waited for a response.

Then one word was said on Flippy's line that both made the Stranger happy and into total horror. "Okay!"

The Stranger chuckled with joy and fear simultaneously, and nodded his head. "Cool, sounds like it will be fun then! Let's meet up there at, say, six o'clock. Make sure to bring a good amount of camp gear, I got my minor kit with my right now, all set to go." Flippy responded with an 'Okay,' and the two both hanged up at the same time.

The Stranger stood motionlessly before leaning both his hands and arms on the counter. He closed his eyes as he lowered his head, letting out a depressing sigh. This was it. The mission had just begun. There was no turning back, and only once chance to get this right.

The Stranger stood like a statue, not making a single movement or sound. Flaky walked over to the Stranger and placed her hand on his back, instantly making him bring his head to meet hers. She dawned a tiny smile, which the sight of it made him feel a little better.

He stood up straight once more and walked over to his backpack by the table. The Stranger placed the straps over his shoulders and made sure it was placed tightly on his body. He turned around to look at Flaky, who still stood with signs of worry as she watched the Stranger prepare to leave.

The Stranger shook his head, and decided to do something that made him regret saying. "Hey, um… why don't we go for one more walk, just the two of us? The campgrounds aren't too far away and you should be able to walk back home safely before nightfall comes. Just… thinking of something friendly to do together."

It didn't take long for the Stranger to receive his answer as Flaky ran to receive a coat for the cold weather, placing it onto her body in an instant. The Stranger smiled as she look back with her own joyful smile… then blushed slightly after realizing how eager she was just to go on a walk. The Stranger chuckled silently, just happy to see her make another smile before a terrible moment happens.

The two nodded their heads at each other, and both exited the house to go on one more walk.

* * *

The walk was a beautiful and possibly romantic one. The Stranger and Flaky walked by each other's sides, the Stranger wrapping his right arm around her to keep her warm from the cool weather, which she happily accepted. The air was soothing, the sound was far from loud, and the atmosphere was crafted wondrously with the afternoon sun and partly cloudy sky.

It was also, sadly, shorter than anticipated, as the two found themselves at the entrance to Happy Tree Forest, the turnoff transforming into a dirt road instead of one made of asphalt. Just standing by the entrance showed how big it was. It was indescribable of how large the dimensions were, the amount of trees that scattered through the area.

It was also a beautiful sight of nature. Along with the large quantity of red and brown trees were plenty of rivers, ponds, and a large waterfall that ran down through the entire forest. It was obviously a popular area as multiple campsites were posted through the area, some empty and others with cabins. This place was perfect to enjoy a peaceful evening… or a horrific and deadly intervention.

They stood outside the entrance, both not saying a single word as they stared straight down the dirt path. The Stranger could feel Flaky moving closer next to him, hugging him tighter as she started to tremble in fear. The Stranger shook his head and sighed, depressed to see her in such a way.

He turned his body around and moved hers so they could both look at each other directly into each other's eyes. The Stranger nodded his head as he smiled. "Flaky… it'll be okay. I can do this, Flaky, you can trust me on that. I promise I will make it out of this, and will stop his Evil self from ever hurting the people and you ever again. I'll be fine, you'll see, and I will be home real soon."

As the Stranger stopped his short speech, Flaky moved in quickly to give him a tight hug, making his eyes widen from the sudden move. He then smiled and gave a tight hug of his own. He was enjoying this close feeling of her being with him, and only wanted it to become closer. But it wasn't the time, and he had to keep moving.

He pushed her back gently until Flaky could make eye contact with him again. "You just go back home and stay there. I'll call you when I am ready to come home." The Stranger then did something neither one of them suspected would ever be done.

The Stranger leaned forward to her and pressed his lips against her left cheek, giving her a quick and soft kiss. Flaky's face turned bright red the moment his lips touched her, and stood with her eyes wide open. The Stranger gave a warm smile, and with a brief moment looking at each other, began a brisk walk down the dirt path, never stopping to look back.

Flaky brought her hand to the spot the Stranger kissed her, and laid it there as she watched him walk down the dirt path. She tried to make his kiss be a reason to feel happy, that everything will be okay in the end. But all it did was made her worry about the situation more, and wished the kiss was saved for later. She shed a tear, and walked in the other direction to return home.

It didn't take long to find the campground he and Flippy would be setting up shop. After the short trek on the hard dirt road, he took the time to examine the environment. The campground they would stay at was an open clearing, featuring enough room to set up a couple a tents and park vehicles nearby. There was a spot for a fireplace and logs used as benches to sit comfortably. It was your usual area for setting up a campsite.

The Stranger checked his watch to see it was 5:45 P.M., just shy of a few minutes before the arrival of Flippy. Seeing there was plenty of time to prepare for his appearance, the Stranger walked over to the fireplace and sat on one of the solid but smooth logs. Relaxing his body onto the hard seat, he removed his heavy backpack from his shoulders, releasing a large sum of tension due to the weight pressing against his body.

The Stranger sat while leaning forward, his hands dangling as he laid his arms on his legs. He stared at the ground, his eyes wondering around as he observed tiny insects crawling across the leaves. As he stared at the little bugs on the ground, the Stranger took the time to review his plan of attack, going over every detail to himself to clarify the situation.

He took one deep breath, and went into a deep thought.

_Alright, man, you know the drill. We have only but one shot at this. If we succeed, we will have taken one huge step in the fight for freedom. If, however, we fail, then months of work, plus the hope for yours and everyone else's freedom, will be wasted. This job right here, right now, can only be carried out once, so we have to do this right._

_ This plan can't get any simpler than it can now. All we have to do is talk to Flippy in his Evil form, whom I will just refer to as Evil, and try to make a reasonable conversation that shows what he does is wrong and see if we can stop him from ever killing again. The first part was simple: take him as far away from the town as possible. We can't do it in the town as innocent people will be slaughtered, and the loud sounds could trigger Evil before even starting. With just me and him, it will create an easy face-to-face intervention._

_ The rest won't be as easy. Evil won't just stand and listen, so I will have to get Flippy distracted, and knock him out so I could tie him up to something heavy, limiting his mobility. Once he's immobile, I will trigger Evil and will have to move on from there, saying whatever I can that could help him._

_ But… I can't guarantee if that_ _will hold him for long. Looking at his past performance, he may very well try to break free. If, for whatever reason, he does manage to escape, I have but only one option to carry out: run._

_ There is no doubt about it; Evil is stronger, faster, and, dare I say it, smarter than me. He is invincible and my skills are no match to him. A full frontal assault is not even worth considering, as he will only be able to counteract my move with one of his own. I can't beat him in a physical fight, which leaves me no choice but to run._

_ It's also the only way I could hope it would stop him from fighting. As Evil, he sees me as the enemy. If I fight back, it will only fuel his rage to fight, getting stronger the longer we stay in combat. I have to stay passive and on the defensive as I try to talk to him. That said, I have to use my wits and whatever strength I have that remains from my wounds to fight through words._

_ If all else fails… then I must fight back. I kept one of his knifes from his house. If I must, I can use it for defensive purposes, pushing him back as I try to escape. And… if it can't be helped… kill him, if it is even possible If that moment comes, then it is declared a failure, as it shows there is indeed no way to stop him._

_ I have one shot at this. There is no room for margin of error. One shot… or it's all over._

The Stranger repeated his plan to himself multiple times, preparing himself for the unavoidable battle. After waiting only a few more minutes on the sturdy log, he noticed a sudden flash of light coming from the distance. He looked up and noticed two bright headlights attached to a green pickup truck heading towards his direction. After a short drive, it parked in the far edge of the campsite.

The Stranger took a deep breath, his heart beating faster as he awaited for the appearance of the green bear. With a few impatient seconds, Flippy exited his vehicle, and stood tall with a friendly smile, looking as if he could not even think of killing anyone.

The Stranger dawned a fake smile and reached out his arms, speaking with joy and a sense of worry in his voice. "Hey, Flippy! You finally decided to show up" He walked towards Flippy and reached out his right hand, silently asking for a firm handshake. Flippy kept his smile and returned the handshake. "You doing well, Flippy? Got your camp gear and everything?"

Flippy nodded his head as he gestured his left hand to the back of his truck, showing a variety of camp gear, including a tent, to be set up. The Stranger clapped his hands together and rubbed them firmly. "Alright then, Flips, let's set up shop!"

With that said, the Stranger and Flippy began to remove the camping supplies from Flippy's truck, placing them neatly near the center of the campsite to begin setting up the decent size camping spot. Once the supplies were placed out, the Stranger and Flippy took different roles of placing supplies neatly and orderly, making a clean and well organized campsite.

As the two prepared the area, cleaning out the brush to begin setting up the tent, preparing the fireplace for later, and storing supplies safely, the Stranger looked over multiple times to observe Flippy for two objectives. The first was to make sure nothing was going to cause him to flip out early; he needed him to stay sane until the time was right. The second was to see an opportunity to knock him out, giving the Stranger time to prepare the intervention.

The time will come soon as everything was now in place except for the tent. Seeing everything was set, Flippy beckoned the Stranger to help him setting up the med-sized green tent, which the Stranger happily obliged without question

Flippy began to unpack the tent from its secured bag, placing out the tools and other supplies to set it up properly. As he was distracted doing that, the Stranger saw the opportunity. Now was the time to act. The Stranger looked around the ground, searching for something solid. With close observation, the Stranger found a nice size rock, solid as… a rock.

Making sure Flippy was unaware of him move, the Stranger walked slowly over to the rock on the leaved-covered ground, and picked it up. Gripping it tightly in his right hand, the Stranger snuck right up behind Flippy, standing tall over his body as Flippy was distracted setting up the supplies.

"Hey, Flippy, do you think this rock could knock someone out?"

Flippy was confused by the question, and turned around to face the Stranger. His face would display shock and horror as the Stranger lunged forward with the rock and knocked him across the forehead, instantly sending Flippy to an unconscious state.

The Stranger watched Flippy fall to the floor as he dropped the blood-covered rock on the ground. He observed carefully for some time, making sure he hit him just right. For some time, the Stranger noticed no observable movement; just a limp body of Flippy

"… I didn't kill the poor bastard, did I?" The Stranger dropped on his left knee and listened carefully to Flippy. After a few seconds of sitting, the Stranger could make out the sounds of breathing, signaling Flippy was indeed still alive. "Ah, good. So, let's set you up then."

The Stranger reached out his hands and slowly lifted Flippy off the ground. With the strength he had in his arms, he hoisted him up and relaxed him over his right shoulder. The Stranger gritted his teeth and breathed heavily as Flippy laid on his shoulder. "Damn, man, you're much heavier than you look. How the hell do you go around killing people so easily?"

He shook his head at the unanswerable question and carried Flippy to a large tree, stuck deep into the earth. Placing him gently on the ground, his legs out straight, his arms on his lap, and his head cocked to the side, the Stranger returned back to his backpack to pull out a long strand of sturdy rope, and unsheathed 'his' knife from his right pocket.

With careful use of tracking the length of rope needed, the Stranger was able to tie up Flippy's legs, wrap his arms and hands around the tree to be tied together, and used the remaining rope to wrap his chest towards the tree. He was practically immobile.

The Stranger dropped down on his rear, looking at an unconscious Flippy anxiously, and waiting for the moment he will awake once more. For now, Flippy appeared to be knocked out cold, showing no signs of waking up soon.

The Stranger sighed and shook his head. "I guess were going to be here awhile. Good thing I brought myself a deck of cards." The Stranger stood once more, and decided to make himself at home at the campsite.

* * *

The Stranger was sitting down at one of the logs, playing a game of Blackjack with himself. Nighttime had finally appeared, shrouding the entire area in darkness. With the addition of the large trees covering the sky above them, the only source of light was the fire the Stranger lit and the little amount of the light from the full moon above them. Without light, the Stranger wouldn't see pass his own nose.

The Stranger did a victory pump with his hands as he noticed his cards tallied up to 21 once again. "Fuck yeah, I'd be right at home in Vegas right now. I am on a roll, baby!" As he cheered quietly, his ears perked up as he heard the sound of a cough. He looked over and noticed Flippy was starting to move slowly. It was time.

The Stranger bent down beneath him to pick up the deck of cards, stacking them gently as he observed his watch, stating it was 8:37 P.M. Nodding his head that it was now time to carry out the plan, the Stranger placed the cards away and picked up his backpack, along with a few other supplies needed for the job.

Checking to see he had everything in order, he checked his most important tool for this current time, which was an old brass oil lantern. Why he choose a lantern fueled by oil instead of electricity is uncertain, but it emitted light nonetheless.

As he walked over to Flippy while carrying the lantern, he reached for his back pocket which held a lighter, still enough fuel to light the lantern. But before he used the lighter, his face turned into confusion. "Wait, do I still have enough oil here?" The Stranger took the time to check the lantern, and noticed he did indeed have plenty of oil. "Oh good. Last thing I need is to be chased by a screeching monster while I run out of oil in the middle of the dark with no tinderboxes. Now that would be some scary shit."

Now lighting the lantern to give luminosity to the area, the Stranger walked over to a chair placed just in front of Flippy. He sat down gently on the chair, placing the lantern on the left side of him and his backpack with the supplies for the job on his right side. He sat patiently as he watched Flippy move back and forth, coming back into reality as his mind came to a conscious state.

After a few brief seconds of waiting, Flippy finally opened his eyes, getting a blurred vision of the Stranger. The Stranger gave a small smile as he spoke calmly. "Hey, Flippy, how you doing. You feeling okay?" Flippy started to shake his head as his vision came back to full clarity. Once he got a full view of the Stranger, his face turned into anger. He wasn't Evil yet, but he was indeed angry.

The Stranger raised his hands up, trying to speak through Flippy's harsh speech in his language. "Flippy, listen to me! Look, I'm sorry what I did, I'm sure there were plenty of other options I could have chosen, but it was the only way I was going to be able to talk to your other self."

Flippy's angered face disappeared as the Stranger mentioned his second self. The Stranger leaned forward with worry on his face. "Flippy… I know. I know about 'him.' I know what happen and how you got him inside of you." Flippy stared helplessly as the Stranger spoke those words. He knew about Evil, his dark and murderous side that lives in him. Flippy began to look worried, wondering if something bad was going to happen to him. _Was this a trap to kill me?_

The Stranger could see how he was worried, and tried to speak calmly once. "Flippy, I'm not going to hurt you. Far from it. Instead… I want to help you." Flippy tilted his head as the Stranger mentioned the world 'help.' "Flippy, when people tried to help you, they weren't talking to the one person they should be talking to, and that is Evil, your other half. He is an entirely different person with a different mindset, so talking to you is of no use. So, I have to do something different, something no one else had bothered to do, and that is to trigger your other half and talk to him."

Flippy could not believe the Stranger's words nor did he agree with them. _Bringing out Evil?! Is this guy insane?! _"Flippy, there is no other choice here. To stop Evil from controlling you and making you kill others, I have to communicate with him directly and make him see the error of his ways, find some way to make him see what he does is wrong and prevent him from ever coming out again. If I can do that without hurting you, you will be a clean and sane person once more, free from that murdering curse."

Flippy was still shocked by what he was hearing, both happily and scared. _This person wants to help me, actually wanting to help me. But how is he going to help me through speaking towards him? Does he even have a chance to stop him? Is there actually any hope to save me? Wouldn't it be better to just leave me be, stuff me somewhere, instead of bothering with me?_

Flippy then noticed the Stranger reach into his backpack, grabbing the supplies he will need to start the intervention. He took a deep breath and spoke without looking at Flippy. "Flippy, I'm going to be doing something very dangerous, something that could get me killed, but I have to do it if I want to save you. As I do this, Flippy, I want all the help you can give me. Try to stay with me as I talk to Evil, try to fight with me to push him out. If he fights, pull him back. Every bit of your cooperation can mean the sanity of your life being normal to pure madness, so you must work with me here."

The Stranger stayed in his backpack for a short time, and finally pulled out the supplies needed to carry out the intervention. He laid out a couple of items before him: a spray bottle filled with water, a balloon without air, and a red porcupine's quill. The last two objects caught the most attention to Flippy, who started to hyperventilate of the incoming operation.

To aid Flippy, the Stranger went over the procedure. He held up the balloon without air to be clearly seen. "This is a balloon. It currently has no air, but I will add that later." He then brought up the red quill, wiggling it slowly to show it. "And this is a red porcupine's quill. Very sharp. Can pierce through skin and bone; I would know." The Stranger then brought the two items together in front of Flippy. "When this quill touches the balloon filled with air, the balloon will pop, sounding like a gunshot when it explodes."

Flippy nodded his head frantically as he knew how the operation will be carried out. The Stranger pointed to the spray bottle next to him, using the quill as a pointer. "If something goes wrong, I will use the spray bottle to knock you back into reality, and start from scratch once more. We will keep doing this until Evil finally succumbs to reason and we cure you of this beast."

The Stranger blew air into the balloon just enough to where it can pop loudly. With the balloon filled with air and the quill at the ready, the Stranger looked forward to Flippy, whose eyes were widen and showing signs of fear, and his breaths going at a fast pace. "You ready, Flippy?" He nodded, which the Stranger responded with a nod of his own.

With one deep breath, the Stranger closed his eyes and poked the balloon with the quill.

_POW!_

The balloon popped loudly, sounding exactly like a gunshot. The Stranger opened his eyes to see Flippy shaking violently. His breaths deepened, his retinas turned into an emerald green, and his teeth turned into razor sharp blades. It was only a few seconds that Flippy turned into Evil, now out and ready to play.

The Stranger sat perfectly still, doing his best to hide the fear inside of him. He gave a fake smile at Evil as he nodded his head. "Hey, Evil, glad you could show up. Can I call you Evil? I know you're not Flippy, and you are a little evil, so I think Evil fits you quite well. What you say?" Evil responded with a vicious stare, silently saying '_I will fucking kill you!'_

The Stranger swallowed his throat and started to sweat. He took a deep breath and continued. "Okay, Evil that sounds like a perfect name. Now, Evil, there is something-"

Before the Stranger could finish, Evil attempted to lunge forward to attack him, sending the Stranger to fall back on his chair at the sudden jump. Evil was confused how he did not move and realized he was completely tied to the tree behind him. Seeing his was tied up, he made his attempt to break free by wiggling back and forth violently.

Seeing he was making an attempt at escaping, the Stranger ran back and picked up the spray bottle, and dispensed a large sum of water on Evil. The sudden splash of water brought Flippy back instantly, which stopped him from continuing his escape attempt.

The Stranger took fast breaths, nearly scared to death from the sudden move. He shook his head and sighed. "Okay… first time did not go so well. Let's try again."

The Stranger would indeed try again, about 27 more times after the first. After so many failed attempts, the time had reached 10:00 P.M., the night sky getting darker by the second. The many failed attempts were making the Stranger feel exhausted, almost thinking of calling for a break from the entire mission. But he was this far into the plan now, so there was no time to stop.

The Stranger took a few deep agitated breaths as he reached for another balloon, realizing he was starting to run out from the small pack he brought. "God damn it, Flippy. You just had to make this shit difficult, huh? You got to fight harder, man. I can't keep doing this on my own." He pulled out a balloon and quickly gave it some air, tying it up and ready to be popped.

He sat down on the ground before Flippy, throwing the chair away since he always kept falling back from every jump Evil made. Flippy was exhausted as well, the constant shifting tiring his body. The two stared at each other blankly, showing no signs of emotion. Neither one of them seemed to be scared since the moment became more of just work then just saving someone.

The Stranger held the quill up to the balloon and nodded his head. "Let's do this… one more time." He popped the balloon instantly and placed the quill in his left pocket. He watched without fear how Evil came out from Flippy instantly, ready to kill the Stranger on the spot.

The Stranger spoke both calmly and with anger. "Okay, Evil, please, for the love of God just listen me here for a second?! All I want to do is help you out, buddy, but I can't do it if you're going to-"

Evil lunged forward again, this time almost close enough to where he could bite the face off the Stranger. The Stranger could not take Evil's action lightly and angrily reached for the spray bottle. "For God's sake, Evil! How many times do I have to… have to…?"

The Stranger noticed something was off. He pressed the trigger on the spray bottle, but no water was coming out. He looked down to the bottle, only to notice the nozzle was detached from the container beneath it. He looked around curiously, wondering where the remaining piece of the bottle could be at.

The Stranger then heard a whistle, and turned around to face Evil, who was giving a tiny smirk. The Stranger was confused until Evil brought out his two freed hands, with one hand holding onto the remaining piece of the bottle. He dumped out the water, and tossed it aside with a sarcastic chuckle

The Stranger dropped the nozzle for the bottle, and shook his head with a scared smile. "Oh you cheeky little cunt."

Evil shrugged his shoulders with a tiny devilish smile. He nodded his head politely and gave a short stare down between him and the Stranger.

And, without prior indication, Evil reached out and grabbed the throat of the Stranger, gripping tightly to choke and crush his bones. The Stranger started to gasp for air as he attempted to pry off Evil's hands with no success. After struggling for so long, the Stranger brought his hands to Evil's face and pushed with all his strength to bash the back of his head against the tree, doing it repeatedly until Evil weakened his grip.

Evil pushed the Stranger off him, sending him off to the ground. The Stranger looked to both sides, and picked up his backpack to lay over his shoulders, and grabbed the oil lantern by the handle with his left hand. He stood up straight as he lifted the lantern, shining the light to see a dazed Evil from the constant head blows.

The Stranger slowly walked backwards, staring in horror how Evil was recovering quickly and began to untie the sturdy rope attached to his body. The rope was an obstruction proved too easy for Evil to remove, and the Stranger knew he would break out in a matter of seconds.

The Stranger's mind frantically ran a multitude of scenarios and plans for his next move. Evil was going to be free any second. What was the emergency backup plan for this situation?

There was only one plan he had for this matter:

Run…

The Stranger twisted his feet around and made a dash into the woods, carrying the oil lantern to light his path. He was quickly out of the campsite area and was heading into the deep section of the woods, not taking any chances looking behind him to see if Evil finally broke loose.

The Stranger ran, and ran, and ran, and ran for an uncountable amount of time. There was no time to track time, only escape for his life. The darkness of the forest and his tiny lantern being the only source of light did not assist the Stranger. Multiple times he ran through low hanging branches, tripping over tree roots sticking out, and times he almost slipped in tiny rivers.

He moved in a zig-zag pattern through the trees, not going directly into one path. After curving around multiple trees, he found himself at the base of an incline, a small hill rising up in front of him. The Stranger looked around him, seeing if Evil is nearby. No sign of him was observable.

Nodding his head as his breaths ran at a frantic pace due to the rush of fear and adrenaline fueling his mind, the Stranger proceeded to run up the short hill, hoping to make it towards the top.

That was before he appeared. Stopping the Stranger in his tracks, Evil walked out from one of the trees in front of him, carrying the piece of untied rope in one hand and his Bowie knife on the other. The Stranger walked back in horror as Evil stared at him with fury, wanting to feed his desire for murder.

Not wanting to fill that desire, the Stranger did an about face and ran in a completely different direction, unknown to him but didn't question it. It failed to assist him as Evil appeared in front of him once more, still dawning the devilish smile as he laughed deeply.

Before the Stranger could run, Evil slung the rope he carried and used it as a lasso, capturing a retreating Stranger and dropping him to his feet. The Stranger felled down onto the ground hard, and noticed he was quickly being dragged towards Evil. He looked up and noticed he was almost directly underneath Evil, his knife at the ready.

The Stranger looked back and forth as he was being dragged, trying to pull himself away which was proving futile. His only object he could find on his way being dragged was a heavy and thick stick on his right side. Not bothering coming up with a plan, the Stranger grabbed onto the sturdy stick with his right hand tightly.

Turning around just in time to see Evil beginning to lunge forward onto his fallen body, the Stranger timely waited for Evil to get close before swinging the stick as if it were a bat, knocking Evil to the side as the heavy stick broke in two.

The Stranger jumped to his feet instantly, removing the lasso as Evil got to his feet who held his knife firmly. Dropping the lasso and holding his lantern on his left hand, the Stranger braced himself for Evil's incoming attack. He dodged to the side before ducking and jumping back, doing his best to avoid each of Evil's swings. The Stranger found himself pinned against the bark of a tree, with no way to retreat.

Seeing his prey cornered, Evil lunged his knife straight forward to stab the neck of his foe. The Stranger moved inside just in time to feel the wind being broken from Evil's knife sliding by the edge of his neck. The knife struck the tree deeply, getting stuck into the bark of the tree. Seeing how he was stuck, the Stranger grabbed the back of Evil's head and smashed his face against the tree, sending him back down briefly

The Stranger seized this moment to escape Evil and proceeded to retreat up the hill. Sprinting as fast as he could up the incline, he prayed to himself silently, hoping to escape this event with his life. This battle he was facing right now was making him feel something he rarely showed to the public: fear. His heart was pounding and his breaths at a fast pace to where he could pass out. He was scared for his life, something he never wanted to show.

With determination and want to keep his life, the Stranger made it to the top of the small hill. Still on the run, the Stranger noticed a large river down below, rushing water down a long stream at a fast rate. It was in the middle of the forest, trees still covering up most of the light. There was also a huge log acting as a crude bridge, which he could use to escape the other side.

The Stranger thought he was in the clear, that his own escape was in reach. But tragedy and horror was sadly placed upon him as, before being able to walk down the hill, the light in his lantern suddenly blew out, leaving him completely in the dark with no ability to see the ground beneath.

"SHIT! Not now, not now, not fucking now!" The Stranger reached for his back pocket as his hands trembled violently, pulling out his lighter instantly. He flicked the switch once, which proved to be unsuccessful as it only created a spark. The Stranger shook violently as he flicked the switch a second time, once again creating another spark. A third time also gave only a spark.

It took up to his fourth try to finally get an actually flame. The Stranger brought it up to the lantern and quickly lit up oil, shedding out light once more. He turned the lighter off and placed it back in his pocket, now having light to see the ground beneath him.

But before he moved forward one step, something sent a shiver down his spine. His mind was going insane, fear striking every nerve in his body. There was an unknown voice inside him telling him to do an act he did not want to do. _Look behind you._

The Stranger closed his eyes tightly, then swiftly turned around to see if Evil was there. Thankfully, there was no presence of Evil nearby. The Stranger was still safe from harm and his escape was still in reach.

He turned around with his state of mind calm, feeling confident he was about to live another day. This mindset would be replaced with only the thoughts of death as Evil stared straight into the eyes of the Stranger, not even a foot away from his face.

Before the Stranger could even think of backtracking his position, Evil punched him straight into the abdomen, sending him slightly downward before being caught by his throat. The Stranger was held high as Evil used his emerald retinas to instill fear into the Stranger.

As the Stranger kicked around and struggled to be freed, Evil, lowered him down, and finally flung his entire body behind him, sending him flying mid-air above the steep hill. The Stranger hit the ground hard, bouncing across the ground as he rolled down the hill, hitting branches and roots that pounded against his bones. With the sudden heavy forces hitting his body, he weakened his grip on the lantern, letting it fly out of his hand.

After the longtime of rolling down hill, the Stranger was planted face first on the bottom of the hill, his entire body sore from the sudden bumpy ride down the hill. As his body hit the ground hard, the lantern that was flown in the air with him struck the ground in front of him, shattering apart which sent the oil and open flame across the ground.

The Stranger, currently too weak to push himself back up, watched with horror how the flame from the lantern picked up in collecting the old brush on the ground, sending a wall of fire that climbed up the trees and spread out through the forest. He laid without feeling hope as he found himself stuck within the walls of fire.

His vision was blurred and his hearing making a loud ringing noise. The force that hit against his body was causing massive trauma to his brain, almost knocking him out. He blinked slowly, breathing heavily as he brought his hands forward, trying his best to push himself up, but feeling no reason to do so.

A good reason would show up as his eyes started to show a more clear but blurred outline of Evil walking through the flames, his knife at the ready. He stood still far away as he watched his prey lie on the ground practically dead. There was a good meal waiting just for him.

The Stranger was not prepared to lose yet. He was not going to let himself lie down and die. He still had some strength and determination to fight. Motivating himself to stand back up, he got up to his hands and knees and brought himself to his feet, wobbling back and forth briefly until he had a stable footing.

He noticed the direction towards the crude bridge was still free of flames, but Evil was catching up fast, walking at a brisk pace to kill his running prey. There was no way the Stranger could just attempt a run now. His new plan of action was brought forward. His final move had to be played.

Fight…

Reaching down to his right pocket, he brought out the sharp Bowie knife, and stared at it with curiosity. His vision focused on the knife, examining the sharpness of the blade and the strong grip that kept the blade tight. His vision then focused back out in front to see Evil coming up close. He noticed him entering an attack position, seeing how his foe is now armed.

The Stranger took a deep breath as he stared at Evil. He knew well killing him was not an option, nor even a possibility. Fighting directly was something Evil wanted but the Stranger could not give. A defensive approach was his only way to win this.

The Stranger nodded his head with a jitter, fear still running through his mind, but determination to fight counteracting the thought. He gripped the knife tightly in his right hand, placed his feet firmly on the ground, and stared straight into the emerald retinas of Evil.

"Let's go!"

With the acknowledgement of the fight ready to proceed, Evil lunged forward, his knife held straight out firmly. The Stranger parried the knife with his own, and moved slowly in a defensive stance, preparing for Evil's next move. Evil retaliated quickly with a side-swing, which the Stranger ducked in time while parrying the returning swing. Evil slung downward onto the Stranger in a backhand method, the Stranger sliding left to avoid the blade before parrying its returning attack.

The two stared at each other with rage. Every blow Evil tried to attempt, the Stranger dodged. Worse, he never returned the attack. This passive-aggressive act from the Stranger only enraged Evil to fight his prey, hoping he would actually start a fight.

The Stranger could see the want in Evil's eyes, the anger he felt his prey would not fall for his scheme to fight back. He had to keep this up while on the move if he wanted to escape. That said, the Stranger walked backwards, swerving his knife around to prepare for any incoming blows.

Evil lunged forward once more, again his hit being parried by the Stranger. Their blades sliding across each other as if they were swords, creating sparks as they collided constantly. Evil continued to swing back and forth frantically, the Stranger either parrying the attack or dodging just in time.

Their struggle within the fire-walled arena was getting to them. The fire began to spread at an intense pace, moving across the forest swiftly. The sky was being covered by ash and smoke, almost eliminating the oxygen in the air. The Stranger could see the flames about to engulf the two, and continued to move backwards to reach the bridge.

Evil performed another side-swing, the Stranger jumping backwards just in time, though his coat received a small shred. Seeing that he was getting closer to hit his foe, Evil picked up his pace of swinging upwards and sideways, not bothering to stop with the constant parries.

His fast blows would soon be too much for the Stranger as Evil's blade would soon meet the left shoulder of the Stranger. Unable to dodge in time since he prepared for a side-swing instead of a downward backhand, the knife struck deep into his shoulder, almost destroying the bone that laid underneath.

The Stranger cried out in sheer pain, feeling the blade entering his body and sending a shock of pain through his nerves. He cringed and gritted his teeth as he stared in the victorious smile of Evil, chuckling at his massive blow to his target. Hating the sight of his face, the Stranger kicked Evil in the shin due to his close distance to his own legs, sending him back as he pulled the knife with him.

The Stranger quickly looked over to see the gushing wound coming from his shoulder, his arm beginning to weaken due to the sudden blow to the nerves and bone. Looking back to see Evil hopping backwards from his kick, the Stranger decided he had enough staying in the arena; he had to move now.

Making a swift about face, the Stranger kicked off running as he held his right hand on the shoulder wound, still gripping tightly onto the knife. He looked behind him to see Evil standing up straight once more and started to follow in pursuit, moving much faster than the Stranger could ever do.

The Stranger picked up his pace, going faster as he kept his mind focused on the crude bridge up ahead. With enough determination and remaining strength, the Stranger made it to the single log acting as a bridge, currently stuck in the running river with small barricades on each end holding it tight.

But before the Stranger could run completely across the log, he looked behind him to see Evil straight in front of him, barely ten feet away from his position. The Stranger swallowed his throat as he breathed heavily, seeing Evil walk slowly and with heavy steps up to him. The Stranger stood on the other end of the log, almost across the river and onto the other side.

He knew, however, running would not work here. With such a close gap between the two, there was no possible way he could retreat now. There was only one move he could make here. He had to escape Evil somehow, and there was a perfect opportunity next to his feet right now.

Waiting patiently to have Evil make his stand on the other side of the log, the Stranger prepared a large sum of strength in his legs and moved to one of the small obstructions preventing the log to roll down river. With a heavy kicked, the obstruction was removed, causing the log to twist and move away from its spot and move down the river.

Evil was caught by surprise by the move, almost tripping off the log as the sudden movement of the ground beneath him started to roll across the river. He dropped down, holding tightly onto the log to stay attached to it safely.

The Stranger did the same briefly, holding the log with a firm grip as it picked up in speed while going down the river. Water was splashing on the two, and the log hit multiple rocky bumps, causing the two to jump on multiple occasions.

Evil wasn't going to let this little trick stop him from getting to his kill. With strong footing, Evil brought himself up, balancing himself on the moving log. The Stranger watched in shock as Evil was able to balance himself straight, and was now sliding towards his position.

Knowing that lying down was only going to get him killed, the Stranger got onto his feet and balanced himself as well, almost falling off as the log hit another rocky bump, going down the rapids quickly.

The Stranger held his knife out, gripping it tightly as he slid towards Evil's direction, who stared back with his glowing emerald eyes with a devilish smile. Once they were in arm's reach, Evil slung his knife straight, aiming for the Stranger's stomach. The Stranger bent his body backward to prevent the knife to hit his stomach, just tapping the edge of his wet coat.

The Stranger looked up to see Evil sling his knife downward, holding the blade out instead through the backhand method. The Stranger parried the blow, and brought the knife up to Evil. The two kept the pose, their knives locked on their flat sides against each other. Evil glared at the Stranger with anger, growling loudly with rage. The Stranger looked back with his eyes squinted, keeping a determined look to keep up the fight.

Their little struggle would be cut short as the sudden sound of falling water caught both their ears. Their determined faces both dropped to shock and confusion. Evil turned his head to the right while the Stranger turned his head to the left. The sight in front of them made their squinted eyes widen to great lengths.

Straight in front of them was the top of the waterfall, and they were just a matter of seconds away of falling off to their watery graves.

The two held their pose tightly while they both screamed at the top of their lungs in horror.

"HOLY SHIT!"

With their final expletive word said, the two felled off the log and into the air as they found themselves heading off the side of the waterfall, falling straight down to the lake below them. They closed their eyes and made their final prayers, and hit the water with a heavy splash.

* * *

Flaky was sitting home anxiously and with fear. She sat on the white sofa in the living room, just quietly waiting on the warm seat looking forward at the TV, which was turned off. She looked at her expression in the reflection of the TV, noticing the worry and sadness on her face.

Sitting down on the sofa was all she did the moment she got home. Unless it was dire such as hunger or the need to go to the bathroom, Flaky sat silently on the sofa, still wearing the thick coat she dawned the afternoon of today.

She was scared for the Stranger. He said it would be simple, that he would be able to do it. And yet it is almost midnight and not a single call was made to her. She was left home alone in her house, worried if the Stranger was okay… or even alive.

Flaky could still feel the soft kiss the Stranger laid on her cheek this day, which she could not help but feel bad about it. She would rather have this same kiss later, in a situation that the Stranger would be guaranteed safety and still be alive. She didn't want this kiss be the last thing to remember him of… or even be the last kiss she will ever have.

Flaky shed a tear in her left eye, unable to hold back the worrying emotions flooding her mind. This world was unfair and cruel and the Stranger was the one to help her realize the truth of it all. It was up to him to stop and end this threat forever, and yet right now he could be dead, forever making the mission impossible to complete. She wanted to live in a peaceful life, and the Stranger was the only one to deliver that to everyone.

Flaky then rubbed the tear from her eye and kept the previous thought. If there was one thing she knew, it was the Stranger was capable of performing such tasks. He has fought many other challenges and survived many other dangers at the risk of his life. He was capable of finishing this goal; he can survive this and win the fight. She had to keep that mentality if she wanted to hold her sanity in good condition, and to believe success if possible with his aid.

But she would soon drop that belief as something caught the corner of her eye. She noticed a bright light coming outside her living room window. Curious as to what was causing the light, Flaky stood up and walked over to the window, looking out in the direction where the light was coming from.

She covered her mouth with both her hands and gasped as she noticed that Happy Tree Forest was caught ablaze in a wall of fire. Possibly a quarter of the entire forest was in flames, and was spreading rapidly. The Stranger was still up there, and could be in mortal danger this very second.

Flaky knew her instructions were to stay, but something inside her told her to go and help him. She could not sit and watch that fire continue and know the Stranger is up there still. She had to go there and save him. This mission was suicide from the start and had to be stopped this instant.

Without further questioning, Flaky ran out her door, slamming it behind her without looking back. She went to her parked car and jumped in quickly, starting the ignition and placing on her seatbelt in a matter of seconds.

With her body strapped in and the car ready to move, Flaky drove onto the road behind her house and floored it with her car, making it go as fast it could to reach the Stranger in time.

* * *

The Stranger laid on his backside beneath the large waterfall. He laid unconscious, the sudden force that he felt hitting the water almost killing him. His body laid limp as rushing water came up and down the sides of his sleeping body, lying gently on the small stones on his back.

The Stranger coughed heavily, spitting at a small amount of water still inside his body. He rolled over to the right to where he could lay on his hands and knees, coughing up more water that was clogging up his organs.

His breaths were heavy and his vision blurred slightly as he slowly began to regain consciousness. With a few more coughs of water coming out, the Stranger rubbed his face of the dirt and water, opening his eyes to see where he was, and realized he survived the fall and was at the riverbed beneath it.

The Stranger saw something reflecting the moonlight in front of him and noticed it was his knife, which he crawled forward and quickly grabbed onto. He shook it gently, throwing off the dirt and water that was stuck to the blade. He then placed it back into his right pocket and carefully brought himself to his feet, wobbling back and forth as his vision returned to full clarity.

He felt a sudden shock of pain on his left shoulder, and brought his right hand to cover it, forgetting he received a massive wound in that area. He cringed with pain as he looked up to see the large fire that was engulfing the entire forest. The Stranger stared at the roaring flames without any question to ask, before his mind came back to what he was actually doing in the first place.

"Evil…"

The Stranger looked down and searched his surrounding area, looking for any signs of Evil's whereabouts, if he still survived the fall along with the Stranger, of course. But knowing Evil, the fall probably only gave a minor scratch than anything else.

After looking at the area in front of him, he turned around to see a shocking sight. Evil was lying face first on the small stone beach, his body limp and was completely silent. No movement was visible, and his body just laid on the stone bed for minutes.

The Stranger shook his head, stuck in disbelief at the sight of Evil's dead body. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "I did all I could do to help the guy… but I guess that's-"

A loud cough was suddenly heard, perking the Stranger's ears up and instantly grabbing his attention. He looked forward at the body of Evil once more, observing it carefully for a short time. Suddenly, he noticed Evil make another loud cough, and his head moved slightly upward to observe the area around him.

The Stranger gritted his teeth as his body filled up with rage. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST FUCKING DIE?!"

He walked backwards as he noticed Evil slowly beginning to regain strength, and noticed his own prey was still walking about. The fight was not over yet, and Evil was still determined to win.

The Stranger looked behind him and noticed the dirt road he walked on earlier. It was in the open so the moonlight gave enough visibility to see the ground beneath their feet. He had only one choice and it was to run once more. This time, however, he had to do his best to hide, and knew exactly where to hide off to.

Checking back at Evil one more time to notice him slowly crawling forward to him, the Stranger turned around and made a dash for the road, limping as his wounded leg felt intense pain from the fall and holding his left shoulder with his right hand to cover the wound.

Making it towards the road, he ran down the dirt path for a short time, not looking back like before to avoid another surprise jump attack. The Stranger took deep and heavy breaths as the lack of energy in his body was making him exhausted from the constant running and fighting. How Evil earned the strength to fight this long is impossible explain, but the Stranger had to focus on him, not what was trying to kill him.

After the short run, the Stranger saw he was at the entrance to one of the other campgrounds, this one containing small cabins to rent for a certain period of time or for other purposes. He looked at each one, thinking carefully which one to hide in.

His time to think had to be instant as a sound was heard coming down the dirt road. The Stranger had no time to ask questions, and decided to hide in the cabin in the far end of the campground. Running over to the door, he quickly opened it and entered the dark cabin swiftly. He turned around and locked the cabin door, making sure it was stuck tightly to the wall to prevent entry, even though the lock was rusted and cheap.

The Stranger looked around his environment and noticed an old couch in the living room, and ran over to hide directly behind it, hugging his body to the wall of the old couch.

He sat silently, holding in his breaths to hope Evil would not find him. The Stranger held himself tightly, trying to calm himself down in the horrifying moment. He had to stay calm and content, keeping his mind clear of any negative thought to stay alive.

The Stranger's calm thoughts were replaced with terror as he heard the sound of the doorknob being messed with. He leaned his head over the side of the couch, his jaw dropping as he saw the door now being banged at hard. Evil must be on the other side using his body as a ram, and seeing how the lock is cheap and old, he was going to break in without difficulty.

The Stranger closed his eyes tightly as with one more ram against the door, the lock was completely busted, and the door slung open, moonlight filling up the dark room inside. The Stranger took a couple of deep breaths, and leaned his head to the side once more, opening his eyes to see Evil.

But what he saw made him jump from his hiding spot with joy, shock, anger, and fear. "FLAKY!"

On the entrance of the cabin was Flaky, brushing off her shoulder from ramming her surprisingly strong body against the door. She stood with a relieved smile, seeing the Stranger still alive. Flaky then opened her eyes widely at the sight of the Stranger's deep wound, pointing her finger directly at it.

The Stranger shook his head frantically. "Never mind that now, Flaky! Tell me what you are do- FLAKY, LOOK OUT!"

Flaky's eyes opened quickly as she tried to move from her position. But she shortly found herself wrapped in a chokehold, a strong arm wrapping across her neck and being held tightly against a tough body. She did not know what to expect until she could feel the cold feeling of metal of a sharp blade being placed against the side of her neck.

The Stranger stood with his body trembling violently as he stared helplessly watching Evil hold Flaky hostage, keeping his sharp Bowie knife to her neck as he stared at the Stranger with squinted eyes. Evil held Flaky tightly around his arm, practically choking her with the amount of force he was placing on her.

The Stranger raised his hands in the air. "Evil, don't hurt her, please! She's not the one you want, it's me you want, right?!" Evil did not respond as he continued to stare at the Stranger. "Evil… why don't we make a trade, huh?"

Evil looked at the Stranger both intrigued and confused. The Stranger continued his proposal. "I'm the guy you're after, right, the enemy? You let go of Flaky, and I'll trade my body to be killed. I won't fight back or anything. You will be free to kill me as you pleased. Take me in her place." Evil looked down, still holding Flaky tightly as he thought of the deal. "Just, one condition: you let me speak my final words that you must listen to. You don't have to agree or anything with my words, just let me say them. That's all."

Flaky was shaking her head as she whimpered silently, not liking anything she heard from the Stranger's deal. _Sacrificing his life for mine? What point was there to that if he will most likely break it? And… why? How can I accept this? I… I don't want to see him die just yet. Not because of me._

Evil took a long break to think of the deal, then looked up to the Stranger as he gave a gesture with his knife to signal the Stranger to speak. He has only once chance to say the right words. If he can convince him now, since he is willing to listen, there was still hope. If he failed, however, then it is all over. One chance… that's all he has got.

The Stranger took in a large sum of air and let out a heavy breath, trembling softly as he tried to come up with some words to speak. He kept his hands raised in the air as he stood himself up straight to look directly into the eyes of Evil. "Evil… I'm sorry."

Evil's face gradually turned into confusion. _My own foe is sorry? For what?_

"Evil… I know…" Evil continued to stay confused as the Stranger spoke. _He knows? Knows what?!_

"But, Evil… do you really think this is the right thing to do?" _Right thing to do? What is this guy getting at here?!_

"Evil, I know what happen, over there during the war, what happened during the mission… and what happened to your friends."

Evil's eyes widen at the Stranger's revelation of the knowledge he had on him. _My friends… the mission… how does he know this?! And… and what does that matter now?!"_

"I won't lie to you, Evil, that I don't know the kind of pain and loss you went through, and I will never compare myself to that. It was an event that someone should never go through, and I'm sorry that was something you ended up facing." _You're damn right you can't compare yourself to me! My friends died in front of me, bleeding out before my eyes. You can't imagine the pain I felt!_

"But do you really think all of this, the murdering of innocent people and the destruction of an entire town, is really going to soothe the pain? Going out to kill everyone in front of you, that's the best way to cure it?"

Evil stared back at the Stranger, his eyes wondering around as he still kept a tight grip around Flaky's throat, holding the knife to her neck. Flaky was reducing the volume of her whimpering fear as she listened alongside Evil.

"Evil, going out to kill innocent people, laying waste to the world around you… it's not going to bring them back. It's not going to fix anything." Evil started to shake his head as he tensed up his body. _No… it has to be the right way. They killed them, everyone, by bringing us into there. They… they killed them, and I have to do kill those who got them killed. I… have to._

"And, even if it did, even if killing everyone could possibly bring them back… do you think they would want to see you doing this? That to avenge them was by killing everyone? Is that the Flippy they want to see if they could come back?"

Evil shook a little bit more, gritting his teeth as he shook his head. _But… but they would thank me for avenging them… that's what I'm doing. They would… think good of me… of Flippy… right?_

The Stranger knelt down onto the floor, slowly attempting to drop his backpack onto the floor. Evil noticed his movement and brought the knife closer to Flaky, making her shriek as the cold blade got tighter against her neck. The Stranger kept his hands raised and breathed heavily at the sudden movement of Evil. "H-Hold on, Evil. I-I'm not trying to do anything. I just want to show you something…"

Evil kept Flaky tight around the throat as he carefully observed the Stranger rummage through his backpack, preparing himself for a surprise attack… if that was his plan.

The Stranger, after a few seconds of searching the bottom of his backpack, slowly pulled out a small picture frame. Evil tilted his head as he watched the Stranger lay it on the floor flat, and, with a gentle push, slid it across the floor to the feet of Flaky. Evil looked underneath him, and tapped Flaky to bend down and pick it up. Doing so without question, Flaky was lowered down to pick up the picture frame and hold it for Evil to see.

Once the picture was in his view, Evil dropped his jaw slightly as his eyes widen. It was the picture of him and his comrades, Sneaky and Mouse Ka-boom, out in the middle of training camp over in the jungles he fought. He saw the two of his friends posing for the picture with their best friend… him.

As Evil kept his eyes on the picture, staring at himself in the frame, the Stranger got back up onto his feet while still keeping his hands in the air. "You three were great friends to each other. You worked side-by-side together, looking after each other as if you were like family. When they were with you, they saw the good Flippy, their best friend. That's what they saw then. So… what about now? If they were here right now… would they see that Flippy before them?"

Evil began to breathe heavily as he kept his eyes on the picture that Flaky held for him to see. He started to shake lightly, his grip around Flaky's throat beginning to weaken. Flaky's trembling slowly died down as she could feel more air entering her body with the loosening grip.

"And… what about your mother?"

_Mother… _The word rang in Evil's head repeatedly. _Mother… _He started to tense up more, trying to fight back the thought of her. But yet it was starting to get to him. His trembles worsen, constantly shaking his head as he closed his eyes, trying to fight back by ignoring the situation as a whole.

"Losing her, Evil, is tragic, and something I'm sorry you ended up facing when you returned home. But… when your mother let go of you, she let go of a young boy who was caring, someone who promised to return home safely. Evil… if your mother was still home… would she have seen her child entering that door, the same boy she let go of?"

Evil's grip was finally loose enough for Flaky to quickly slide out, dropping the picture frame and running towards the Stranger in total fear as she grabbed onto him. And yet, despite her retreat from his arm, Evil did not flinch. Instead he stood still, his body shaking as he breathed faster, shaking his head as he mumbled to himself, and kept his eyes closed, not wanting to look up to face his trouble.

"Evil… you have to let go of it all. You don't have to be a killing monster to avenge your friend's deaths, going off and murdering people as a way to make it all up. If you want to honor their lives, both them and your mother… you will let go, and live the life they shared with you. Be the Flippy they saw, the good one who was there for them and cared for everyone. Be the Flippy that they knew, and live that life as if they are still with you. For if they were with you right now, that's the Flippy they would want to see again. Let go, Evil… and go back to being good Flippy."

Evil stood motionlessly by the door, breathing heavily as he stood like a statue. He then did something that no other monster would ever perform. He cried. As he opened his eyes slowly, tears ran down his face, running down his cheeks and to the floor beneath him.

His body trembled to the point it was becoming too difficult to stand. He started to shake his head around, looking everywhere around him as his mind frantically ran through a variety of emotions he never had. Evil's eyes then met his knife, and he stared at the blood-stained steel blade that gave off a clear reflection of the person who was holding it.

He saw a monster. A dark and terrifying monster covered in blood across his face. Looking straight into his own reflection, seeing his sharp-bladed teeth and cold menacing eyes, Evil was actually feeling scared at the sight of himself. The person he saw holding the knife was not the same Flippy he saw in the photo, nor the Flippy his mother would ever recognized.

The person he saw was only a monster.

_This… I… I… can't…_

Evil's right hand began to shake slightly before shaking violently. The knife slowly slid out of his hand as he let go of his grip, dropping the blood-stained knife to the floor with a thud. His legs and body shook violently, and finally collapsed to his knees. He stared blankly to the wooden floor beneath him, and covered his eyes with his hands as he cried away the mental pain that was trapped inside him.

_M-Mommy… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry..._

The Stranger stood and watched Evil drop to his knees, tears running down his face in large quantities, showing no signs of stopping. Flaky, who was holding the Stranger tightly, sadly watched Evil cry away his pain. The sight of his sadness, despite his attempt of almost killing her, made her feel sorry for him.

She could not stand and watch him be alone. Flaky let go of the tight grip onto the Stranger and proceeded to walk forward to Evil. The Stranger silently brought his right hand outward, but was unsuccessful at calling Flaky back. He only stood and watch how Flaky calmly walked up to Evil, not noticing her movements as she stood tall above him.

Flaky dropped to his level by sitting on her knees, and, with a short and deep breath, leaned forward to give Evil a tight hug. As she laid her arms around him, Evil instantly brought his arms around her. At first scared that he was about to attack her, Flaky could only feel Evil hugging her tightly as he continued to cry away the pain in his heart.

The Stranger stood still as he watched Flaky rock Evil back and forth, mumbling to him in a soothing voice. The Stranger let out a sigh and nodded his head. "It's over… we broke him… he's safe now."

The Stranger walked forward to Evil, still holding onto Flaky with a tight grip while slowly calming down after a long time of crying away his pain. The Stranger stood over him briefly, using his foot to slide away the knife to the other side of the cabin. As he watched the knife go far away from Evil's reach, he brought his right hand out to a downed Evil.

Evil looked up to the Stranger as he opened his eyes. He noticed his right palm lying flat out, allowing Evil to get a grip onto his hand. Evil was reluctant at first, scared to be lifted up by his used-to-be enemy, but brought out his left hand to grab onto the Stranger's right. He was pulled back up to his feet, and stood eye-to-eye as the Stranger.

As Flaky picked up the picture frame she dropped earlier, the Stranger looked into Evil's eyes, and noticed the emerald retinas slowly disintegrating, returning back into the dark-green color they were before. Evil was gone and Flippy was back.

The Stranger patted Flippy on the back with a smile, and went back to pick up his backpack by the handle. Making a firm grip on the handle, he walked back to Flippy and wrapped his right arm around a calm Flippy. He brought himself by his side and proceeded to leave the cabin.

"Flippy… there is something I have to tell you. It will sound crazy and possibly insane, but when you hear it, it could possibly explain all the events that have ever happened to you. And it will change everything."

Flippy stared in shock but was somewhat intrigued by the Stranger's remark. Flippy nodded his head as he walked by the Stranger's side, ready to hear the truth.

As Flaky followed pursuit behind the two males, she stopped mid-way and looked up to the dark sky, a roll of clouds coming across the sky. And upon closer observation, she saw a little speck falling down to her.

And that little speck that fell from the sky was one droplet of snow.


	13. Ch 12: The Time is Near

**Chapter 12**

**The Time is Near**

* * *

_**Happy Tree Town, 3 months later**_

"Flippy, I have performed a full scan over the southeast side of the town. Current observations reveal no noticeable situations in the area. How's the southwest side, over?"

"Clear, over!"

"Affirmative. Moving current position to east-side of the town to perform a scan of the area. Record your observations of your position and proceed to the west-side of town to initiate a 15-minute scan. Proceed with caution, out."

"Affirmative, out!"

The Stranger placed the walkie-talkie back to the side pocket of his backpack and neatly tucked it in, easily accessible and to allow clear audio to be transmitted. The Stranger stretched his body as he took in a large sum of oxygen through a tired yawn, the early morning wakeup not doing any favors for his lack of energy.

He placed his hands in his coat pockets and tensed up his body, the cold weather causing him to shiver slightly. Winter had finally covered over the entirety of Happy Tree Town. The significant drop in temperature was followed with a blanket of snow, covering up the streets with white sheets of soft material, and the tops of buildings covered with ice. The cloudy sky prevented the sun to ever shine through, and the leaves on the trees were now absent, leaving an appearance of death which created a dark and depressing atmosphere that didn't fit well with the comfortable snow throughout the town.

The Stranger's clothes remained the same after all the months of fighting and injuries. His leather jacket, now completely tattered and covered with stiches, was still dawned onto his body, along with his pair of jeans given by Flaky, which were now starting to wear away. He did change his look for the seasonal weather, now wearing a pair of brown boots to tread through the snow and a black wool-cap to cover his head. The backpack was still the same blue bag from the many months back.

The Stranger's body was also not in mint condition anymore. His face, while partially healed, was covered with bruises and scars from the past beatings, and the stiches on his body were still attached. The deep wounds from the darts, which entered his hand, stomach and knee, still showed their stich marks, his wounds never willing to completely recover.

But they were only minor inconveniences, and did not hinder his plan to keep fighting. In fact, he took the scars as trophies, signs of victories over the mad man's many schemes and situations he had constantly thrown onto him, and failed miserably with each attempt. The Stranger was taking the belief that he was a foe to the mad man to never be taken lightly, and had the proof to show it.

The Stranger moved forward slowly to the eastside of town, walking heavily through the rough patches of snow under his feet and keeping a watchful eye around his environment. As he continued his patrol, he took note of his brief response with Flippy just a short time ago, thinking deeply of his new partner in the fight.

After the intervention in Happy Tree Woods, the Stranger told Flippy the truth about the world he lived in, similar to Flaky. Just like her, Flippy was initially reluctant at first, but soon enough came to terms and accepted the Stranger's speech, effectively making him the second Tree Friend to know and accept what the world he resided in was like.

Once he knew the truth, the Stranger saw Flippy more than just another member who knew the truth, but a valuable asset to the fight. With military training under his belt, Flippy had knowledge and abilities that surpassed even the Stranger, and, with the aid of his skills, could prove beneficial in the fight outside of his home.

With proper negotiations, Flippy agreed with the Stranger and became a secondary field agent for him, taking different roles and patrolling in opposite locations during work, covering more ground than ever before. He was also useful when handling major situations that required more than one group of hands, and was effective at carrying out orders.

The Stranger did worry initially, wondering if Evil could still come back after the near fatal intervention. There were occasions in which Flippy fought himself and almost went haywire, but, since that day, he has never once transformed into Evil, and not a single innocent person has died by his hands. Now, instead of killing people, he was now protecting people, just what his job was intended to be from the beginning.

Having Flippy as an ally instead as a threat became a major victory for the Stranger. Not only did he save another unique Tree Friend, another innocent human being trapped in the world like everyone else, he had also taken total control over the mad man's most powerful weapon. With Flippy on his side, and now two people protecting the town, the Stranger was now unstoppable in his quest to take down the mad man and free himself and everyone else. Soon he would finally win and the game will be all over.

The Stranger made it to the east-side district of the town, and observed the area from his current position on the sidewalk. His current observation showed many miniature shops and stores, and the nearby plaza he dreadfully visited once was located here. Looking at the outside of the stores, there were plenty of convincing sales going on, as shown on pasted signs on the windows.

But, despite being the best time to buy, the area, and most of Happy Tree Town itself, was practically dead, with minimal activity on the outside. Due to the cold weather (and possibly due to the early morning period), most Tree Friends decided to stay indoors for most of the hours in the day, 'hibernating' in the sense. This was a thought that made the Stranger feel both relieved and concerned. While staying indoors was possibly the safest method of surviving, it also created difficulty of knowing when danger was to strike. Thus, the search must continue.

The Stranger moved inward to the center of the district, examining every lit building and outside activity as he kept his patrol. He only noticed a small quantity of Tree Friends actively walking outside, normally in family groups, and most vehicles were kept in park as the snow made driving too difficult or dangerous to attempt; a wise decision.

He then noticed a heavy amount of activity occurring at a small coffee shop, especially inside the building. The Stranger shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, realizing that this was probably the best place to have started his search in the first place, when taking current weather and time conditions into play. He then let out another heavy yawn, his body almost ready to shut down after the minimal hours of sleep he was only able to obtain. How Flippy managed to wake up and fight the day with little amounts of sleep was beyond him.

Looking back and forth at his current position, the Stranger took the small window of opportunity to take a nice, warm break during his patrol, and perhaps order a drink to perk up his mind, at least to a state where he could actually stand and think. He jogged across the road and entered the shop in an instant, and took note of the occupants in the store.

If the store wasn't making business before, it sure was making business now. Nearly every table, booth, and stool was occupied either by one person or a couple, happily drinking their warm cups of coffee. The Stranger let out a warm sigh, the inside of the building warming him to a temperature that even his fur coat could not achieve. He proceeded to take his wool cap off and place it in the inside pocket of his coat, keeping it safe from leaving him.

The Stranger looked up to take note of any notable Tree Friends. Observing today's active Tree Friends, this store seemed to be managed by Pop, with his son Cub absent presently, possibly back home with a babysitter. One of the waitresses happened to be Lammy, who kept the murdering pickle inside her front pouch of her apron. The Stranger cringed at the thought of the pickle coming alive again, and kept his guard up if that situation was to occur.

He took a few steps forward and carefully looked around to find any empty seats, or at least a spot by a Tree Friend that would happily accept his company. The Stranger then stood concerned and slightly angered as, at the far end of the building, sitting alone at a small booth, was a red porcupine huddled up in a thick brown jacket, sipping at her coffee in short intervals.

Confused why Flaky happened to be outside the house and breaking his orders to stay safe there, the Stranger proceeded to walk toward the end of the café and stand tall behind her. He reached his right index finger out and, with a slight tap, instantly grabbed her attention, almost making her spill her drink.

Flaky only sat in shock briefly before realizing it was the Stranger, and stood up to give the Stranger a tight hug while dawning a cheerful smile. The Stranger returned the hug, but did not dawned a smile of his own, still slightly angered why she was here.

Flaky brought her arms away from the Stranger and gestured her hand to sit on the opposite end of the table. "Sit!" She said in a happy tone. Flaky appeared to be more joyous than ever, especially in recent times. Perhaps with the collapse of Evil and the constant protection of two strong men patrolling the town kept her spirits up, and made her fear the world a little less. This made the Stranger feel somewhat better, but was still concerned of her safety.

He went over to the opposite side of the booth and gently sat down the same time as Flaky, placing his backpack by the end of the booth and watched her grab her coffee once more while pulling out a pack sugar from the counter basket, ripping it open carefully to pour it in her drink. As she went for her drink, the Stranger snapped his fingers to grab Lammy's attention nearby, handling an order for another customer.

She walked over to the Stranger and smiled at him as she brought out her notepad. The Stranger held out his finger to gesture a '1.' "One cup to go, please." Lammy nodded her head and wrote the order on the notepad, and went off back to the counters where Pop stood handling out orders by the stools upfront.

The Stranger turned his head to face Flaky once more, who was looking at the Stranger happily as she took a small sip of her coffee, curious as to why the Stranger decided to show up.

Her happy thoughts would be teared down as the Stranger spoke with a strict tone. "Flaky, what are you doing outside the house?" Flaky's eyes opened as she placed the cup back on the table. She attempted to speak up before being interrupted by the Stranger. "Flaky, you know it's too dangerous to be out here, especially during this time of season where ice could fall down to kill you or other disasters."

Flaky shook her head and tried to speak before being interrupted once more by the Stranger. "Worse, you're out here alone. You know it's not safe to go out alone when danger is still lurking around. If you were going outside, Flaky, you should have told me before leaving the house." She made another attempt to speak before Lammy came back with the Stranger's coffee, handing it too him with a smile as the Stranger nodded his head in thanks.

The Stranger took a sip of his drink, which perked up the energy in his body significantly, and looked over to see an angered Flaky, ignoring her coffee this time around. The Stranger closed his eyes and shook his head, placing the cup back down on the table. "Flaky, all I am doing is looking out for what's best for you. I'm trying to protect you, and the best way to protect you is to stay back at the house until I get back."

Flaky flung her left arm to the side, pointing at the other Tree Friends who sat peacefully at their tables. She then pointed back to the Stranger, still holding her angered expression. "Their safe to be out here because both me and Flippy are out here; they don't have to worry because we're up and about doing the work. But we also can't keep our eyes on everyone, so we have to watch briefly before going on to the next. The moment we leave, there is a chance something could happen, and if you're here outside in the town, we can't watch you forever, and something bad could happen."

The Stranger took a sip of his drink and looked at the many Tree Friends in the room. "Besides, most of these Tree Friends are generics, not the unique ones like you or Flippy. They are just pointless characters in the background with no real person actually controlling them, like an artificial intelligence of some sort. If they die, nothing drastic is going to occur. It's the Tree Friends like you, who stand out, that needs protecting since you're real people, completely separate from them."

Flaky took a sip of her own coffee and placed it down while shaking her head. She made an angry grunt sound as she pointed to herself, staring at the Stranger with angered and disappointing eyes that made the Stranger feel uncomfortable. "Flaky, I know you have the ability to take care of yourself, more than ever after your long time of survival. But it's my job to protect you, and the only way I can truly do that is have you stay back home."

The Stranger sat and watch Flaky place her head on her right hand, her elbow keeping it up in the air and rested against it. He was saddened by the sight of her disappointment in him, his constant worrying making her feel like a child. The Stranger hated doing this to her, as he did have a choice to let her make her decisions, which is what he wanted her and everyone else have the right to do.

And yet, after months of being with her, he still could not keep himself from treating her as a young child, overprotecting her every time danger was bound to strike. He just couldn't bear to see something tragic happen to her, and only wanted to keep her safe from the dangers that happened around him.

It was the reason why he had to keep her secluded, and still, at this moment in time, regretted doing it every day. He cared for her too much, and hated the sight of her happiness turn into anger and disappointment for him.

The worrying thoughts would be placed on hold as the walkie-talkie started making chattering noises, alerting both the Stranger and Flaky. The Stranger quickly reached over to the backpack and pulled out the radio, turning it to the correct station and activating the voice command. "Flippy, is something wrong?"

"Emergency! Fire! West-side; need assistance!" As Flippy yelled into the radio, the Stranger could hear screaming and a roaring fire picking up, consuming a house in flames.

The Stranger and Flaky's eyes widen in horror at the news, a dangerous situation occurring this very moment. The Stranger quickly nodded his head and spoke calmly to avoid grabbing the attention of the people in the building. "Alright, I'm on my way! Do all you can to pull out any of the people currently outside and place them a safe distance away from the house!"

The Stranger turned off the walkie-talkie and placed it back in the side pocket of the backpack. He jumped to his feet quickly and placed the backpack over his shoulders, keeping it tight to his body.

Taking one more sip of his coffee before placing it back down, he stared back to a frighten Flaky. He spoke with a stern voice. "Flaky, go back to the house now and stay there until I get back! We'll discuss this later." Flaky nodded her head, taking the commanding order both with acceptance and anger, being told what to do once more.

The Stranger quickly and carefully navigated through the crowd of people inside the café and exited the building, standing on the sidewalk once more. He placed the wool cap back on his head as he faced right and noticed a large smoke trail moving upward into the sky, showing that the fire was spreading at a rapid rate. The Stranger nodded with determination and made a mad dash on the sidewalk, proceeding towards the burning building which currently only Flippy was managing.

* * *

After an intense sprint half-across the entire town, the Stranger made it to the west-side district, and stood at the corner of an intersection, which gave him a clear view of the burning house and the surrounding area. He could see a large crowd of people screaming in horror as the house was being consumed by the burning flames, destroying the foundations of the house by the second.

As the Stranger made his way across the street and towards the panicking crowd, he noticed Flippy doing his best to control the situation by pushing back the observing citizens as far away from the fire as possible, speaking loudly to grab their attention. Behind him was a lone firetruck currently being managed by Cuddles and Toothy dressed in firefighter uniforms, doing their best with the attached hose to simmer down the flames with little success.

The Stranger pushed himself through the screaming crowd of people at a frantic pace, doing his best to make it to the situation before it gets out of control and beyond repair. After a rough fight through the people, he stood in the front yard of the house next to Flippy, still busy pushing back the citizens. As Flippy did his job, the Stranger stared at the house with terror filling his mind.

It was Pop and Cub's house, and with Pop staying at the coffee shop just across town, than no doubt Cub was inside the house, possibly alongside another Tree Friend, and were about to be sent to their horrific deaths. There wasn't much time before the house was bound to collapse completely, and their deaths would be recorded.

The Stranger moved over to Flippy and grabbed him by the shoulder, getting his attention as he continued to shove his hands outward to push back the citizens. "Flippy, how many people are inside?!" Flippy gestured his right hand by holding up two fingers, signaling two people were still inside. Cub had to be one of them.

The Stranger looked back over to see Cuddles and Toothy grabbing the gear on the side of the firetruck to prepare a breach entry, hopefully grab the innocent Tree Friends inside before the imminent collapse of the building. There was no chance they would pull off a rescue mission by themselves, it was just a guaranteed thought. Thinking carefully of what to do, the Stranger came up with a suicidal plan that was their only chance of saving them.

He nudged Flippy on the shoulder once more to get his attention and pointed his right index finger to Cuddles and Toothy. "Flippy, we got to move inside now if we want to get those two out! Let's go!" The Stranger beckoned Flippy to follow, which he nodded quickly and followed pursuit.

Cuddles and Toothy were beginning to dawn their entry gear, including a gas mask and oxygen tank to breathe through the hazardous chemicals that were covering the house. As they slowly equipped the gear, the Stranger and Flippy both grabbed an individual, surprising the two by their sudden appearance and violent attack.

The Stranger held onto Cuddles and began to remove the gear currently attached. "Toothy, Cuddles, you are relieved of duty. Let us take care of this and stay outside with the hose and continue hitting the house with as much water as you can!" The two only stared in confusion as, in only a matter of seconds, were stripped clean of their uniforms and gear and left to their naked forms… though it didn't matter with the patches of fur covering every part of them.

Flippy gestured his hands to signal Toothy and Cuddles to back away, which they did while staring back, completely in shock by the sudden attack by two random people. The Stranger removed his backpack and other unnecessary apparel to dawn the important pieces of the firefighter uniform, including the oxygen tank and mask. Flippy did the same on his own part, though in quicker time with the less clothing he originally had.

The two strapped the uniforms tight to each other, making sure it was ready to move. Toothy and Cuddles made their way into the firetruck and began working on the hose once more, performing once again a futile attempt to remove the fire, though it did give Flippy and the Stranger additional time.

With the gear all attached and ready to go, the Stranger gave a determined nod to Flippy and began making a brisk jog to the front door. "Let's stack up to the front door. We're going to perform a breach and clear method of action here. Once inside, you search the ground floor while I take the second floor. Find any survivors on the ground and escort them out the building. Make sure they don't breathe in the smoke; stay low to the ground and make sure they keep enough oxygen. This building is going to collapse any minute, so keep your head up!" Flippy listened to every detailed instruction with full attention, not letting his ears trail off.

They made their way to the front door, both able to feel the hot burning temperature of the flames from the inside. The Stranger and Flippy checked to make sure their masks were tight to their face and nodded their heads to signal they were ready to carry out the plan.

Standing on the left side of the door, the Stranger hugged the wall and spoke clearly. "3, 2, 1, BREACH!" He gestured his hand to Flippy, who moved from his side of the door to kick the hinges of the door, busting it down and completely destroying it.

Upon the destruction of the door, a large bellow of black smoke instantly came out, covering up their masks with ash and dust. They kept their hands up and slowly entered the house, carefully looking around as they saw the raging fire consume every household object inside the building.

They stood side to side as they walked through the entrance of the house. The Stranger grabbed onto Flippy's shoulder and got straight next to him, speaking loudly as the loud flames continued to spread. "Alright, check the bottom floor, especially the kitchen and living room! Keep low, move fast! I'm going up to look for Cub!" Flippy nodded his head and the two split up to cover more ground.

The Stranger moved across the burning floor while keeping his body low to the ground, squinting his eyes through the thick mask and dark smoke to find his way through the house. He quickly found the stairs leading to the second floor, and didn't hesitate to make his ascent. He kept his steps light, making sure not to put too much pressure on the floor to keep himself from falling through.

As the Stranger went up, Flippy stayed on the ground floor, slowly moving across the floor while looking for the second survivor. He was practically crawling on the floor, keeping his head below the smoke to catch a tiny glimpse of any Tree Friends in the house. The fire was spreading rapidly, and multiple times he had to change his route as the fire moved across the floor.

Through the loud crackles of embers flying in the air, Flippy perked up his ears as he could hear a small whelp, a tiny voice calling out to him. He looked over to the corner of the house and saw the entrance to the kitchen, which appeared to be consumed the most by flames, making it the possible source of the fire.

Without second thought, Flippy navigated through the living room and the falling debris and made it to the small rectangular kitchen. He looked around quickly, trying his best to find the source of the cry for help through the dense smoke.

Flippy heard the cry once more and looked over at the end of the kitchen to catch a small glimpse of a blue Tree Friend, stuck underneath a burnt piece of building material. He pushed away the table in front of him and knelt down to the Tree Friend trapped underneath the pieces of rubble.

It was Petunia, who was far from being in good condition. Her fur was charred black, and her eyes half-shut as her body was shutting down from the lack of oxygen entering her lungs. She reached out her hand, silently asking for assistance as she was passing away.

Flippy looked over to see the heavy material on her, and used the strength that was fueled by the adrenaline in his body to forcefully remove the rubble, taking off plenty of weight that was crushing the dying skunk's body. Flippy then went back for Petunia and wrapped her right arm around his back and over his shoulders, slowly picking her up to her feet.

Flippy made sure to stay low as the smoke continued to pick up in density. He looked over once more to see the front door entrance far away from his position, and made his way through the kitchen while carrying the limp body of Petunia. She rested her body onto Flippy as she barely had any strength to move, using only what little she had to stay alive.

Flippy frantically moved through the living room as the foundations above him began to fall down, falling in pieces and causing major damage to the house, slowly bringing it to its ultimate destruction. He stayed low and moved fast, dragging Petunia with him carefully.

After a short and dangerous escape through the living room, Flippy successfully exited the burning house, Petunia still being carried over his shoulder. As he exited the house, breathing heavily in a state of panic and exhaustion, he looked up to see the observing Tree Friends cheering at the sight of another innocent person being saved from death.

Flippy smiled widely and with pride as he carried Petunia over to the firetruck far away from the house. As Toothy and Cuddles continued their best to keep the fire from spreading, Flippy lowered Petunia's body on the ground, setting her body to lie gently on the soft grassy ground.

He removed his mask and dropped the oxygen tank from his back, removing the excess weight from his body and getting a huge sum of relief as the pressure on his bones were removed. Flippy brought himself back to attention shortly after, and went to the firetruck to grab an emergency medical kit, and brought it over to a weak and burnt Petunia to begin basic operations to keep her body stable.

He laid the box beside her and opened it up quickly, grabbing the essential remedies and tools to begin a proper operation. As he started the usual procedures to stabilize Petunia until paramedics arrive to the scene, Flippy realized a terrible situation: the Stranger was still inside the building.

He looked over to the entrance of the building, and watched in horror as it slowly began to fall and break apart, the Stranger and Cub still placed inside its burning walls.

* * *

The Stranger climbed up the stairs carefully and with ease as he made his ascent to the second floor. Making it to the top floor, he looked left to see a long hallway, noticing multiple doors that led to a variety of the rooms. Cub was inside one of them.

He continued to keep his body low to the ground as he kept his hand up, doing his best to see through the fire and smoke. The Stranger stopped briefly as he heard the floor beneath him make a creaking noise, and looked at his feet instantly. He didn't notice any cracks, but the sound worried him to a point that fear was starting to halt his attempt to rescue Cub.

The Stranger shook the thought off and kept his mind positive to save the child at all costs. He looked back up again and carefully walked across the floor, keeping his ears up to hear Cub… if he was still alive.

He stood by one door, and was unable to hear any sound of the sort. He moved to the next door, and was met with the same result. The Stranger was beginning to think that Cub had already met his dreadful demise, and was now in a better place for at least the remaining time of the day.

The Stranger's plan to rescue Cub would still be in effect, though, as standing at the last door at the end of the hallway gave him a near silent sound of a child screaming in horror. The Stranger's eyes opened widely and his body tensed up, knowing that Cub was still alive but only for a short time if the two continued to stay in the collapsing house.

Nodding his head in determination, he stood straight in front of the door and busted it down with his right foot, giving him access to Cub's room. It wasn't hard to find Cub as he sat in the corner of the room crying in fear, his young mind unable to comprehend the situation or find a way to save himself.

The Stranger moved quickly over to Cub and dropped to his knee to meet the young boy, who looked up to see the scary sight of a strange man wearing a dark mask. Cub began to cry louder and hug himself tighter to the wall as the Stranger went forward to gently grasp Cub's shoulders.

The Stranger spoke softly to calm down Cub. "Cub, it's okay, it's me! I'm going to get you out of here; you'll meet your dad and everything will be fine. Just stay quiet and try to stay calm for me, okay?" Cub stopped crying as he heard the Stranger's voice, and gave a short nod after a brief thought of the situation.

Smiling at his acceptance for help, the Stranger leaned forward and grabbed tightly to Cub, bringing him up to him and hugging him tightly to his chest, doing his best to make sure he would not breathe in the toxic smoke in the room. He made a swift about face and made his way back to the door, ready to head back downstairs and make it out the building alive.

The situation would turn out only for the worse, though, as his entrance was met with a sudden collapse of the foundation above the hallway, a large sum of burning rubble blocking his path outside. The Stranger jumped back, his heart pounding as he frantically looked around the room. "SHIT! What the hell do I do now?!"

The Stranger looked around in fear as he tried his best to find another exit, such as a window, though none could be found. There was no proper exit he could use, nothing as of now that he could easily walk through to exit the room. But perhaps… he could make his own exit.

He took note before that directly next to this room stood Pop's room, separated only by a thin and weak drywall that was beginning to degrade in strength due to the increasing fire. Making it his only plan, the Stranger walked over to the right side of the room and placed Cub gently on the floor beneath him, laying him flat to avoid breathing the smoke in the air.

Staring at the wall with dedicated examination, the Stranger lightly punched the thin wall to feel for a weak spot, and was able to find a soft area that easily crack from the small force of his fist. Nodding his head as he found a weak point in the wall, he took a few deep breaths and tensed up his body to build up as much strength as possible.

After a short prayer and a buildup of strength, the Stranger rammed the wall with his body, creating a major crack in the wall while chipping away a huge chunk of the cheap material. He repeated the motion a second time, breaking down even more material that was giving him a clear access to the next room.

With one more ramming with his body, the Stranger smashed down the wall and made it to the other room, a thin layer of destruction separating each room. The Stranger quickly ran back for Cub and picked him up once more, holding him tightly to his chest as he brought him out of his room. He squeezed through the small opening of the hole he made and entered the other room, making no intentions to stop moving.

The Stranger proceeded to exit the room and make his way towards the stairs, as he moved, he looked up to see a large crack crawling across the roof, a sign showing it was bound to collapse any second, which would fall directly upon them. The Stranger's eyes widen and began to hyperventilate in fear as he increased his pace to exit the building alive with Cub.

He made his way down the stairs as the roof began to break and fall apart. The foundation above them started to fall, hitting the bottom floor with burning debris that crushed the furniture in the house. The Stranger made a mad dash down the stairs and could see a clear view of the front door, wide open for a quick exit.

He ran across the floor jumping over the falling debris in front of him as the room behind him came to a total collapse, bringing out a large bellow of smoke and flames spreading outward. In just a few brief seconds while in a state of horror, the Stranger escaped the burning building with Cub in his arms, and tripped on his feet as he exited the door while the house behind him collapsed.

The Stranger laid on the ground breathing heavily, too weak to stand up. As he laid on the ground, he could hear the loud cheering on the nearby Tree Friends watching the fire and now collapsed house. He closed his eyes and smiled at his successful escape, and looked over briefly to see a weak Cub that survived along with him.

Through the ash-covered screen of his mask, the Stranger could see a green hand reaching out to him. He grabbed it weakly and was pull up to his feet, his body being held up tight by two strong green hands that held onto his shoulders with a strong grip. His mask was removed and the Stranger got a clear view of a smiling Flippy, nodding his head at the successful rescue.

The Stranger smiled back as he looked down to Cub, and slowly bent over to pick him up once more. He gently handed him to Flippy, who carried him over to Petunia, which Cuddles and Toothy were now watching over while continuing their basic medical operations to keep her body stable. From his viewpoint of the situation, with Flippy handling Cub, the two Tree Friends trapped inside the house are going to be fine and well. It was another successfully avoided situation.

The Stranger let out a relieved sigh and removed the heavy gear that was attached to his body. He dropped the gear where he stood, not caring if it broke once it hit the ground; he just needed to relax. He walked forward a few steps, making his way to the sidewalk that was now beginning to be empty of standing Tree Friends, and sat down on the concrete to rest his body.

He shook his head as he took deep breaths, his mind still being active from the situation he just survived. The Stranger attempted to avoid any thinking as he only wished to rest from the intense work he encountered, though he couldn't help but keep the thought that the day was far from over, which only agitated him greatly.

Some of the stress would be shut off as Flippy came over to sit down next to the Stranger, having the same idea to relax for the short time they currently had. Flippy placed his right hand on the Stranger's left shoulder, and shook him in a victorious spirit of another successful team rescue mission. The Stranger looked over to see a smiling Flippy, and returned the smile with a nod.

They sat still, taking short and silent breaths as paramedics finally arrived to the seen (none of them unique, so worrying about a total mishap was not needed), taking off the tension of the situation as they carried Petunia and Cub over to the ambulances, which would deliver them to a safe hospital for a full recovery.

They watched the vehicles drive off with their sirens active, and looked over to notice Toothy and Cuddles placing the equipment back to their original locations and enter the firetruck, activating its siren and driving off to return to base for further operations if needed.

After everyone had gone, the Stranger looked down to see the time was now 11:00 A.M. One major situation removed, and the day wasn't even half-over. Letting out a stressful sign, the Stranger nudged Flippy's shoulder with his elbow, grabbing his attention as he was looking around observing the now peaceful scenery.

The Stranger pointed his finger to the north and spoke with a sarcastic tone. "So… want to start patrolling the north district now? I hear trouble likes to start around this part of the day?" The Stranger chuckled as Flippy made an agitated sigh before shrugging his shoulders, knowing that there is no point in arguing what their job entails.

With a short nod, the two stood back up and walked over to equip their previous gear, and went back out to the town to continue their work.

* * *

Sitting. Sitting and waiting. For the entirety of the day, all she did was sit and wait alone inside her house. It was tiresome, boring, and only angered her how she was being treated like this after seven whole months being alive. Throughout all the struggles she has survived through such a short time, it would be somewhat reasonable and clear she could take care of herself now, and yet she was still being kept confined to the interiors of her own home.

Flaky was laying on her back on top of the white sofa in the living room, looking at the grandfather clock to observe the passage of time. The clock rang to signal it was now 8:00 P.M., the Stranger and Flippy now bound to be on their way to her house. To keep her mind occupied, she stared blankly at the ceiling fan above her. Her eyes followed the spinning wooden blades that went in a circular motion, and did this while feeling agitated about the current situation she was placed in.

Flaky was always willing to listen to what the Stranger was going to say. Seeing the dangers and troubles he had face, the many times he risked his life for a good cause, it all made him seem to be a trustful and reasonable person to follow. He knew the dangers that lurked in the world more than any other Tree Friend, including her, so it was clear that if he said danger was inbound, it was coming.

But sometimes she felt it could just be blown beyond proportion. The Stranger, while doing it just to keep everyone safe, seemed to worry about the tiniest of details and turn them into DEFCON 1-style dangers. His original intentions were that, if people live longer in this world, they should be more willing to care and protect themselves more efficiently. If that were the case, than Flaky would be the smartest Tree Friend who could easily take care of herself by now.

Which is something she thought of every day. Flaky was originally a timid and shy girl who was indeed scared of plenty of things in the world. But now she viewed herself as an independent woman who is more than capable of doing anything on her own without someone looking over her shoulder every second of the day. This is why she didn't bother to tell the Stranger she would go out to town, as he would only control her and say no.

And that thought itself sounded hypocritical in a way. The Stranger refused to be controlled by the mad man and believed no one in this world should be controlled as the type of person they should be or what they should do. Yet the Stranger performs that same control onto her… and, from her point of view, only her.

Flaky did not want to doubt the Stranger's goals or actions as he was only doing it to help others, which he has proven to always do for the many months he has lived with her. But sometimes it seemed he could go too far, especially around her. There was no point in questioning him why, as he would refuse to say, so it was best just to let him do his work until the final day he could take all of them home.

Her deep thoughts would be shattered as multiple knocks on Flaky's front door was heard. She jumped slightly at the sudden sound of the knock, and looked over to view the front door, hearing the same amount of knocks in faster intervals.

"Flaky, it's us! You home? You okay? You alive in there?!"

Flaky rolled her eyes and shook her head at the Stranger's last question, which seemed completely idiotic even for him to say. She got up to her feet and walked to the door, aiming for the small locks which were removed in an instant. With the final lock removed, she opened the door to see two friendly faces dawning warm smiles while slowly dying from the sheer cold of the outside.

The Stranger and Flippy stood outside in the freezing cold, the two chattering their teeth and trembling their bodies as they kept their hands in their coat pockets. Flaky stood in front of the doorway, looking at the two with a short grin as she watched them stand in the cold.

The two males were confused why Flaky refused to let them enter the warm feeling of the inside of her home. The Stranger stepped forward to face Flaky. "Um, Flaky, can you move out of the way so we don't die from hypothermia?" She continued to look at the two with the same grin, not moving an inch from her spot.

Flippy pushed on the Stranger lightly, asking him through expression to find some way to get inside now. The Stranger looked at Flaky and examined her face, noticing a hint of anger still there. He sighed in disbelief. "Flaky, is this about that moment at the coffee shop? Come on, Flaky, I was doing it only for your safety. I couldn't watch you outside so it was best you just stay at home for the day. It couldn't have been too bad… right?" Flaky's grin dropped and kept her stare on him.

The Stranger looked over to see Flippy, who gestured his hand to say something now as his face began to freeze from the cold. The Stranger faced Flaky again and noticed her anger to him once more. He didn't like the sight and knew what he did today obviously was not the wisest move, and was regretting it right now; if he stopped and didn't tell her to go home, he would be inside in the warmth right now.

He took a deep breath and gave looked at Flaky with a saddened expression. "Look, Flaky, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to treat you like a child or make you feel bad about yourself. I know you are capable of caring for yourself alone and that I shouldn't be watching your every move. I was just trying to look out for you, and I'm sorry that I disrespected you in such a way. Can you forgive me and let me and Flippy inside so we don't have to turn into ice blocks like Cro-Marmot… and actually die?"

Flaky stared at the Stranger briefly, somewhat enjoying his begging expression as he and Flippy stood watching. She rolled her eyes with a smile and beckoned the two to enter her warm home, though she gestured to wipe and remove their boots to prevent bringing in dirt to her perfectly clean floor.

The two males smiled widely as they ran into the home, shutting the door behind them as they soaked in the warmth of the home. They proceeded to take their boots off and placed them in the corner of the house, standing them up straight and orderly. The Stranger took his own leather coat off and hanged it on the nearby rack, though Flippy continued to wear his BDU jacket despite being indoors.

Now standing inside the warmth of the home and feeling quite comfortable from the removal of his heavy jacket, the Stranger watched Flippy walk forward and stand next to Flaky, who stood with her arms and hands behind her. Flippy turned around and stood next to Flaky, both looking directly at the Stranger with curious eyes.

The Stranger kept his attention on Flippy, who waved his hand sideways to gesture to him to speak. He knew what he wanted him to say; they discussed it to themselves frequently before this moment, and they both knew that, by now, it was time to reveal it. The Stranger nodded his head and looked at Flaky with a determined look.

Flaky tilted her head slightly as she watched the Stranger move up to her and place his right hand on her left shoulder. The Stranger nodded his head and spoke with a strong voice. "Flaky… it's time."

Flaky was confused at first. _Time? Time for what? _She ran multiple ideas in her head, and came to the absolute conclusion that he was speaking about the one moment which they waited a long time to carry out. Her eyes widen as they followed the Stranger, who made his way to the kitchen table while beckoning the two Tree Friends. "Come on, we have to discuss this now."

Flippy followed in pursuit after the command was given, and was briefly followed by Flaky, who moved at a much slower pace. She didn't know what to make of the situation. She knew what they were going to discuss about, but she was in shock now the day has finally come. Flaky tried to prepare herself for the incoming day, but yet failed to do so. And now that day was here, which they must both now decide how they will carry it out.

The Stranger sat on his usual side of the table while Flaky sat on her side. Flippy grabbed a chair and placed it on the side, sitting between the Stranger and Flaky. They all looked at each other silently, all knowing what was to be discussed but not having any idea on how to discuss it.

The Stranger cleared his throat to grab their attention and decided to speak first. "I think it is perfectly clear what we are about to discuss. What is about to be said at this table is going to be a defining moment on how this fight progresses. At the end of this meeting, we will have come to a complete decision and make our final preparations for the following morning."

He leaned in closer and brought his arms and hands to rest of the table in front of him. "Guys… I think it is about time we do our best and finally tell the Tree Friends about what we know of this world. The mad man, the death mechanics, what we really are, everything. It is time that they know the truth. After being here for nine months, I have seen enough clear evidence and action of this world and how it truly works, something that only us three know of right now. And after a three month streak of survival thanks to me and Flippy, there might be a chance they may listen to us."

Flippy and Flaky nodded their heads as they listened. "When I first made the attempt, it failed miserably as none of them got to live and survive a dangerous situation. They believed the world was perfect and was indeed their own. The way the mad man designed their thinking, how yours started out as, was made to not accept such a tragic truth because they were forced to forget everything upon death. This kept their memories and common though from progressing or be put into use as they would never have the chance or need to use it. Thus, the reason they ignored me the first time.

"But perhaps now, after living for so long without death, they might be more agreeable with what I have to say, about the truth of the world and know about the mad man who controls this world and the way we live." The Stranger looked down briefly and stared back at Flippy and Flaky. "You two listened and accepted the truth because of a situation that was obvious and proved my case. Flaky, you were willing to believe because I showed you proof of how the memory system works, and, while a little concerned, agreed with me. Flippy, you believed me the day I told you after I removed Evil from your system and gave you the lecture about this world and the mad man who has purposely designed you the way you are, and accepted that truth and joined the fight with me."

"The other Tree Friends, though, may not be so easy. You two were easily acceptable to the truth because of the type of people you are and the situations you survived and faced. These guys are just going to be told straight out, with no situation occurring in front of them to show for it. They survived long enough where their minds should be more acceptable, but there is still the probable chance that they may still disagree, and send us back to square one. When we tell them the truth, they will either accept it or decline it, and our entire hope to escape is bounded to the concept of them accepting it."

The Stranger took another long pause before speaking calmly once more. "Now… if they do accept, which is what we want, what happens afterwards I am uncertain of. The original idea is that, if the people in their character form break out of their current mind set and completely agree this world is only virtual, this entire reality will break and send us home. If that doesn't happen, then the idea of them knowing what is bound to happen will prevent the mad man from controlling their lives, leaving him with nothing and thus no point but to finally let us go."

He looked down and rested his head on his left hand, which was held up by his elbow on the table. "But even still… there might be a chance he may decline it all together and just accept it and watch us. Or perhaps nothing will happen at all and all of this work would be worth nothing. I don't know what will happen when we tell them, or what will happen if they accept the truth. But after all the work we've been through, the time we have waited to carry this out, I don't think there is any other moment we can wait for or to do. We've done all we can on our part, and it's time to take our stance and finish this fight."

Flippy and Flaky looked at each other for a short time before giving each other a quick nod, and looked back towards the Stranger. The Stranger took a deep breath and sat himself up straight again. "So… here is how I think we should tell them. Flippy, Flaky, while I prepare myself to say what I have to say, you go out and spread the word to EVERY Tree Friend, both unique and generic, that an important announcement is going to be made at the base of the giant tree in the center of Happy Tree Town. Yell it out, whisper it in people's ears, plaster it to walls and windows, anything; just get that word out so we can get the people to know. Mainly, though, I need the unique Tree Friends like you to be there, that's a must, as they are the real people stuck in this world, not a generic clone."

"Once we get the entire town to meet at the base of the tree, say 4:00 P.M., I will stand at the very base of the tree and be in clear view of the participants of the announcement. Hopefully the turnout will be large, as we are going to need as many people to hear this as we can. As I stand up at the base of the tree, readying myself to speak, I want you two to stand by my side and be my aides here. You two know the truth, and thus are witnesses to it. You two are going to be very valuable in trying to convince the people that what I say is right, so I request your assistance during the chat, clear?"

Flippy and Flaky nodded without second thought. The Stranger made a small smile as he returned with a nod of his own. "Good. Once we get the word out and the truth is told, everything else goes on faith. We have to believe they will accept it, and, in the end, we will all go home by the end of the day. This is finally it, people. In about twenty-four hours, we will either stay inside this hellhole for the rest of our lives, or get to experience our real lives in the real world like we should. The freedom of our lives will be decided by what happens tomorrow, so we just have to hope it will turn in our favor in the end."

The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky all sat at the table staring at one another, all of them still in shock that they were really going to go through with the plan. It was mostly relying on faith than anything else, but it is all they have to work with. Tomorrow really was a day a judgement; they will either stay where they are now, or go to their real homes. It was a thought that was both exciting and scary; they really could just end up being sent back to their dreadful lives of false reality and death, forever stuck with the thought that they are people living a false life. But positivity was needed if they wanted to get through this.

All three of them stood up simultaneously, and the Stranger gave a quick nod to Flippy. "I recommend resting up now, Flippy. We got a busy day tomorrow, and I need you in your best shape for this." Flippy gave the Stranger a brief salute and a swift nod, and proceeded to move out of the house. Before doing so, he gave a warm hug to Flaky, who happily accepted it, and picked up his boots, dawning them and keeping them tight to his feet before finally leaving the house.

Flaky turned around to see the Stranger walking up towards her, holding his backpack by the handle in his left hand. He stood tall over Flaky, and looked into her crimson eyes with a smile on his face. He leaned forward and gave Flaky a surprise tight hug, holding her tight to his body. Flaky chuckled lightly and returned the hug, holding the Stranger tightly as he did the same to her.

As he stayed in their close position together, the Stranger spoke softly to Flaky. "Flaky, whatever happens tomorrow, be it good or bad, I just want to say thank you for your support. I really could not make it all this way without your kind and spiritual work. You've been a great friend to me, Flaky, and I couldn't ask anything more from you."

They held each other tightly for a short time then broke their grip, letting go of their bodies and standing still with a warm smile on both their faces. Flaky's cheeks were a little red from the kind compliment, which the Stranger noticed, making him feel a little bit more happy to see her blush. They both nodded their heads and the Stranger headed upstairs to his room to rest.

As the Stranger made his way upstairs, Flaky stood and watch, still holding onto that smile that she could not get rid of from his compliment. It will go away soon, however, as a thought came to her head that was not discussed at the table. She crossed her arms across her body and widen her eyes as she started to think in detail of this horrific thought.

If they did indeed succeed in escaping the virtual world tomorrow, what exactly will happen upon their exits? Is there a chance they could die when the world breaks? Could they end up being sent only to another virtual world? Or, worse, they will forget everything in the world, including all the memories they shared together inside the world? Every moment she has experienced in the world, there could be a chance that they will disappear upon the exit of their world.

And that would include all the memories she shared with the Stranger. Any memorable moment she had with him, the times of him being there or the work he has done, will be forgotten forever, never able to share them again. And what if they do exit the world, with their memories intact or not; will the Stranger still like the real her on the outside? For all she knows, she could be an entirely different person, or look horrendous, which the Stranger may be appalled by. He knows this Flaky, not the real one.

It was a terrible thought that made the idea of a perfect escape only a dream. If they stay, they live in a terrible and tragic world of death in false lives. If they exit, they experience life as it was meant to be, but may forget all the memories they shared and the people they lived with for so long, thus sending them out to an unknown world alone. Nothing was going to be perfect no matter what the turnout was.

Flaky shed a few tears at the thought before wiping them away, trying to keep her mind positive that everything will turn out for the better in the end. She had to think happy thoughts if she wanted to escape with her sanity intact. She was going to be her real self again, and would soon enjoy the real world like she should.

Keeping that thought in her head, she went for the living room and kitchen lights, switching them off to turn out the ceiling lights, sending the house to complete darkness. Once the lights were out, Flaky went upstairs and entered her own room, and slept with happy thoughts or returning home.

* * *

The Stranger found himself walking in an open white plane of existence, with no sign of life in the proximity of his position. The land was dead silent, the only sound emitted was the sound of his footsteps hitting what appeared to be solid floor beneath him. The sound echoed throughout the world, scaring the Stranger slightly at how long the echo lasted.

He brought himself to a complete halt and looked around, trying to find anything of importance that could tell him where he was. "Hello?! Is anyone here?" His words repeatedly echoed throughout the empty plane, and grabbed no attention from anyone… or anything.

The Stranger stood up straight until he felt a small tremble beneath his feet. He looked down confused as he felt the floor shake again. He kept his eyes at the floor as every second the trembles got worse, picking up in intensity to the point that the Stranger felled down to his rear. He hit the ground hard and could feel what was possibly an earthquake happening underneath his position, getting stronger as his body bounced on the floor.

He then heard a deep rumbling sound, like an angered voice beginning to erupt into a dark scream. The Stranger covered his ears as a sudden loud voice started to shout across the world.

_STRANGER!_

The voice was instantly recognizable to the Stranger. It was the mad man, entering his dreams once more to taunt him. The Stranger shook his head and got up to his feet, getting his bearings after the sudden earthquake almost making him feel sick.

He looked up and made childish grin. "So… you here to just call it quits now and end this pathetic game once and for all? You ready to admit defeat and take us home?"

_Stranger, I have done everything I could to be reasonable with you. I have tried on multiple occasions through these challenges that what you are doing is worthless, that you should stop this madness right now and forget it all. And yet every time you disobey and go off to take control of MY world. I have tried to be easy with you, Stranger, but I guess it was a futile attempt to even think of being generous with you._

The Stranger chuckled as he brought his hands to his side. "Easy? Generous? What, so the tower falling down, Flippy killing everyone, and the constant nightmares you gave me, that was all being 'generous and easy?' If that's the case, you are really shitty at trying to show it."

_Stranger, this is my world, MY creation. Everything you see inside here is mine, and you have been taking it away from me day by day, ruining everything that I have ever designed or work for._

"Well if you hate me from doing it, why didn't you try to do something to stop me?"

_I HAVE, and yet every time you go off and fight back, not taking the obvious hint you should stop. I have tried to stop you from moving forward and yet to ignore it. You're just a pathetic rebel for a lost cause._

"I think I have been fighting a very noble cause. I think, right now, all this anger from you, is because I have been beating you. I'm winning this game right now and you know it. You just don't want to accept defeat because, once I tell them the truth, I will be victorious in stopping you and your precious world and we will finally escape, leaving you with nothing."

_Stranger, through the past nine months that you have lived in this world, all I have wanted from you is to be a kind and loyal participant in my world, to just live and follow instructions like everyone else. None of this fighting or violence didn't have to exist, but you had to go off and bring it upon yourself. I did not want this day to come, but I guess you leave me with no choice, Stranger._

"Oh yeah, really? Well, what can you possibly do now to stop me?"

_I can't let you proceed any further with your fight, Stranger; my life here is valuable to me, and I can't let it take it away from me. I have to stop you. Thus, I will give you one last warning, in hopes that you will have some sense in your tiny brain of yours before you go off and do something we will both regret._

The Stranger dropped his arms from his side and continued to stare up to the sky. "And what is that?"

_You will avoid telling the Tree Friends and all the people here about the truth. You will NOT go to the base of the tree and admit it all. You are being ordered, as of now, to forget this fight, stop what you are doing, and leave this life of a 'hero' to return back to your original state. This fight ends right now, Stranger, and if you refuse to call it off before tomorrow, I will be forced to unleash all of my power to destroy you and this world. You have seen only my light creations, situations that I do just for short entertainment. But, if you continue this fight, I will show you what a god like me could really do._

The Stranger laughed at the word 'god' in the mad man's sentence. "You know, I like it how you call yourself a 'god,' when really, all you are is just a lonely old man sitting behind a computer to pass time because he is just bored. You're no god, just another pathetic asshole who thinks he is almighty and powerful because he is playing some stupid game."

There was a short break of pure silence, just like before the mad man's appearance. The Stranger waited patiently at his position, looking around the white plane of existence for any particular event to occur, a sign that the mad man was still there.

He then noticed the ground beneath him was shaking again, this time the same strength and intensity of the previous earthquake. The Stranger was dropped to his hands and knees as the trembling ground continue to shake the entire world, making it entirely impossible to attempt to stand.

The Stranger then looked up in horror as the world around him changed for the worse. The ground he laid on was turning into dark soil and burning ash. The environment around him changed into destroyed buildings that were set ablaze, and dead Tree Friends pierced with arrows and their limbs detached from their bodies blanketed the ground. The sky above him turned into dark-brown circular clouds that made the sound of thunder, sounding off a loud bang throughout the world.

The rumbling beneath him continued to shake violently as death and destruction continued to appear around him. Blood began to fill the soil underneath him, and the flames from the buildings were spreading around the ground in front of him. The Stranger was trapped in a land filled with torture and despair.

Amidst the painful screams of Tree Friends that emitted in the distance, he looked over while on his hands in knees to see a giant shadow of a man, taking heavy steps that shook the ground. The Stranger's eyes widen as he gasped at the sound of the evil voice coming from the giant walking towards him.

_You still think this entire world is just a game?! That all of this was just some little fun event that I thought of playing with you?! You still believe that I am just some crazed psycho who is just bored? You want me to show you what kind of god I am, what kind of powers I truly have? Okay, Stranger; let me show you THE KIND OF GOD I CAN BE!_

The giant took one more heavy step in front of the Stranger, the force of his foot hitting the ground causing the Stranger to jump upward briefly before falling back down of his rear. He sat up and look directly in the sky above him, observing the giant's head that stared back down to him.

Lightning struck the guy above him, and the Stranger was able to achieve a dreadful sight of the giant's face. It was the shape of a crazed looking man, looking down at him with dirty teeth with a smile that struck horror into the nerves of the Stranger. The giant kept his eyes on the Stranger as an object began to form within his left hand.

The Stranger slowly crawled backwards while sitting on his rear as he observed the object being summoned from his left hand. Upon complete construction, the object appeared to be a long burning blade, sharp enough to cut through flesh and bone with ease. He watched in fear as the giant slowly raised the blade in the air, forming a tight grip on the black handle.

The Stranger raised his right hand in the air as he shook his body and head in fear, whimpering with fear and crying out for help as the giant made a deep and dark evil laugh as he watched the Stranger below him yell in agony.

With a tight grip on the handle, the giant swung the sharp burning blade down to the ground, aiming for the tiny body of the Stranger.

* * *

The blade striking his body instantly woke the Stranger in a cold sweat, gasping loudly for air as his body trembled with fear. His eyes frantically looked around to observe his environment, noticing he was once again in the safety and comfort of his room… at least for the time being.

The Stranger hugged himself as he rocked back and forth, still breathing heavily as he looked out the window to notice it was still the middle of the night. There was still plenty of time before he would actually announce to the people the truth, and would be wise to go to sleep to get as much energy as he could for the event.

But after having the terrible vision, he could not bring himself to go back to sleep. The sight of the giant monster was scarier than the sight of Evil, and he had him up to his own face in a fight. This creature was a terrible and horrific monster that he had never faced before, something that looked unbeatable in any situation.

But what sacred the Stranger the most about this creature, what brought horror to him more than anything in the world he lived in.

Is that this monster was a human. The monster he saw was an evil god capable of mass destruction and murder.

The monster he saw was, undoubtedly, the mad man.


	14. Ch 13: Revelations

**Chapter 13**

**Revelations**

* * *

This was it. Today, at approximately four-in-the-afternoon, was going to be a monumental day. A day in which everything, including life and existence itself, will be changed forever. It was a day looked forward to for months by one, and a decade for others. And there were so many possibilities this entire situation could collapse, ending everything that was worked for to be flushed down the drain.

There was only one shot at this, one shot to get home. And yet it could still easily end up in a tragic defeat. But there was no reason to hold back and hide anymore. The time was now or never.

The Stranger knew this. Flaky knew this. Flippy knew this. They all knew the work that was put into this fight, all the sweat and tears poured to make this day become a reality. But what they didn't know is exactly what will happen. Anything could possibly happen, from an instant success, to perhaps nothing at all. They had one shot, and they had to make it count.

The Stranger stood in front of his mirror inside the wardrobe, and was slowly dawning his tattered coat over his beaten body. He questioned wearing it, as it only made him look like the dirty monster like his time during the darkest of days, but pushed it aside. They weren't going to bother with looks when they hear what he has to say.

He slipped each button into the slots, tightening up the coat until each button was placed correctly. The Stranger patted himself just to feel the coat be placed tightly against his own body. He then slowly looked up and faced himself in the mirror, examining the wounded face covered with bruises and scars. He looked like a killer, which he hoped was not the impression he would not make on everyone.

The Stranger reached for the comb on the slot and slowly brushed his fur, bringing the rough hair to be flatten down and look smooth and clean. If clothes or his face could not be kept clean in appearance, at least his fur could look decent enough. He brushed across his arms and head, going for any tuff of fur that was visible. It was annoying reaching for every spot of his body, but it was achievable. At least by the end of the day, he will no longer have to worry about this furry body anymore.

The thought made him stop his action of brushing his fur. The idea of escaping today was not truly a guarantee, which he continued to deny its possibility of occurrence. He stayed in this world, this false reality… this hell for nine straight months, and all he could think of was finally having the chance to be free once more, to no longer suffer the pain he feels everyday living in a dark world filled with death.

And what about the others? They were here even longer than him, and yet they are sent into a fate worse than his. They are forced to never even realize of the real world above them, and not even know of their own existence. The Tree Friends have their right to live the way they choose, but have been sadly trapped as slaves for a decade.

Which made the idea of the possibility of leaving scary, as they could live another decade, or perhaps even for eternity, living the false reality they never asked to be a part of. Everything the Stranger dreamt of can still be shattered to pieces. Today was going to be the day of judgement, whether his wish for freedom to be granted or not.

The Stranger still stood in his trance, his mind stuck on the idea of failure. He would snap back into consciousness after hearing the sound of his creaky door opening widely. The Stranger jumped a little from the sudden sound and looked over sharply to notice Flaky, standing by the entrance of the bedroom while wearing a thick brown jacket, keeping her body warm from the cold temperatures.

The Stranger shook his head as he smiled, and placed the comb back into the slot as he closed the doors to the wardrobe. "Hey, Flaky… you sleep well?" He looked over to see Flaky give a small grin while nodding her head. He could tell, though, it was a lie due to her baggy eyes, showing a sign of fear of what could happen today

The Stranger accepted it as truth and nodded his head. "Good to hear…" There was a brief pause between words being said. What was there to say? Today was the day they are supposed to leave forever, so is there really anything to say once they meet each other again? The only thing they could do now was stand in awkward silence.

To break the silence, the Stranger decided to bring up their course of action. "Has… has Flippy already begun spreading the word?" Flaky nodded instantly. "Good, good. We need to get everyone's attention as soon as possible to get this to work." He stood silent once more and looked at Flaky with worry. "You still up to leaving outside to tell the others?"

Flaky looked at the Stranger with a serious expression, and nodded her head. "Yes."

The Stranger smiled widely as he walked towards her. "Good…" He stood in front of Flaky just a step away from her face, and they both stared silently at each other. They both then leaned forward and gave the tightest hug they could give, holding each other in a tight grasp that would be nearly impossible to separate.

The Stranger petted her quills like hair and spoke calmly. "We will succeed today, Flaky, I'm sure of it. We will all go home, our real home, in our real form, and will be safe and happy again. And when were up there, we will be able to meet each other face to face, remember the time we fought in here, and continue our lives together the way it is meant to be. We're going home, Flaky… I… I promise it will happen."

Flaky shed a few tears she attempted to hide, not wanting to show any emotion for this day. The stutter from the Stranger's last sentence made her realize even he had doubts, the man who fought the hardest still had the mentality of defeat being possible. She wanted to leave this world just like him, and wanted to spend the rest of her days the way she would want them to be spent… especially being able to continue sharing with him. But it can still fail in the end, and she sadly had to accept it.

They held each other in the inseparable hug for half a minute, standing silently together as they kept each other tight. Knowing that nothing will be accomplished standing still, the Stranger brought himself to let go of Flaky and stand up straight, looking slightly down to her as she looked up, wiping away a few tears from her crying eyes.

The Stranger sighed as he nodded his head, and gestured his arms to point out of the room. "Well… it's about time we start getting ready. You go out and help Flippy to get everyone, including the generics, to meet at the base of the large tree in the center of town, keeping everyone in an orderly fashion in the open park." The Stranger looked down and placed his hands in his coat pockets. "I'm… going to stay just a bit longer and… meditate on what I will do. I have one shot of doing this, so I need to do this right. You okay with that?" Flaky nodded without hesitation.

The Stranger smiled and nodded her head along with Flaky, and let her exit his bedroom to continue today's objective. He waited briefly, standing still with his hands in his pocket, and went into a total state of panic after he heard her footsteps going down the stairs. The Stranger ran out of his room and popped his head between the barrier of his room and the hallway. "Flaky!"

Flaky turned around and faced the Stranger, who was breathing at a faster pace as he kept his eyes on her. He swallowed his throat and nodded his head. "I-I just w-wanted to say to y-you… be careful… okay?" Flaky stared back silently for a short time, and answered with a nod and grin. The Stranger's breathing relaxed after seeing her response, and waved goodbye to her as she waved back.

With the sound of the front door opening and closing, the Stranger entered his room once more to have one more observation of his little base. His desk was covered with journals and notes containing statistics and mission details, his wall painted with pictures and maps with marks and checkpoints describing locations of interests, and, at the end of his room, lied his large cache of gear varying in quality and specifics.

From what started as a simple bedroom had now become a miniature base. It was his home for seven months. And now it will never be seen again. "Good riddance."

The Stranger looked over to his supply area and instantly noticed his blue-backpack, his most essential tool to surviving in the cruel and hellish world. He walked over and knelt to the ground, unzipping the top to reveal its contents. Still holding his usual set of gear from yesterday, he sighed and nodded his head. "Man… I looked so stupid with this thing on. No need to worry now, though."

Before he went got off to move out of his room, he went into deep thought of the contents of his backpack. Despite how useless it was needed to be lugging around now, he had a feeling to just grasp the item one more time. Agreeing with his decision, he went back inside the backpack and pulled out Flaky's quill, the same quill he pulled out of him after the falling of the tower.

He still, after seven months, had no idea why he bother carrying it, what purposed it serve. Perhaps it was a reminder of her, and with Flaky in his thoughts, gave his will to fight. Whatever the purpose, he just needed to observe and hold it one more time before leaving the world. The Stranger took the quill and hid it inside his left jean pocket, keeping it nice and secure within the walls of his pocket.

He stood back up straight once more and brought his hand inside his leather coat to search through the inside coat pocket. The Stranger then quickly pulled out his black wool cap and placed it over his head, keeping his head warm from the cold weather. Looking outside the window of his bedroom, though, it appeared to be a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. It'll be cold, but at least the sunlight will be perfect for the peaceful scenery.

The Stranger moved towards the exit of his bedroom after taking a gander out his window and proceeded to move to the first floor. Before making his complete exit, he grabbed Flippy's knife he 'borrowed' back at his house three months ago, just in case something bad occurs along the way to the tree.

Checking to see he was all set and ready to go, he went downstairs and stood within the boundaries of the kitchen, coming to a halt as he looked around the house. He smiled as he observed the scenery, bringing back memories of his time here with Flaky, the good times living with her, the nice things they did for each other.

This was at least one thing he will miss doing in the world. Despite the evil that existed in the land, it was here at least he knew where he could find comfort, both from the home and from Flaky. The Stranger worried how life will be like once he exited the world, if anything changed for the worse… and what will happen when they finally meet each other in their real forms.

He let out a depressing sigh and shook his head, removing the negative thought from his mind. Everything will turn out good in the end. Today, they will be free from the cursed land, escaping the hands of a mad man, and will forever once again live in peace in the real world. It will all go down smoothly without consequences.

But… there was something he forgot to tell Flaky that he decided was best to not let her know. The vision he had last night… the mad man, and his stature of a giant, ready to strike and kill everything in sight. His figure was more terrifying than Evil, and his strength overpowering him a thousand-fold. While it was purely a vision, the mad man had warned him plenty times beforehand, and proved to be correct. But this had to be a bluff; there was no way he could be capable of such terrifying destruction… right?

"Oh dear God… please… just let this day be the end of it all…"

* * *

Today was surprisingly (and frighteningly) peaceful. The sun gleaming above the winter wonderland of Happy Tree Town, still covered in snow. The quiet sound of minimal traffic mixed with a pleasant breeze. It was a calming day; perfect to tell everyone that they are currently living in Hell.

As instructed, Flippy and Flaky spent the majority of their time spreading the news of a 'big announcement' happening at the base of the town's majestic tree at the center of town. It was described to be a shocking piece of news that could change the course of history and life itself. With such words used to describe an upcoming event, it would be idiotic to skip out.

The two Tree Friends took different approaches to spreading the word. While the two decided it was best to split up, covering two parts of the town at the same time, they discussed the event in different patterns.

Flippy was upright with discussing the upcoming announcement, going to the busiest of areas to yell and rally the crowds. Through a loud and strong voice mixed with convincing words, Flippy was able to successfully convinced Tree Friends hanging around parks, stores and busy streets to meet at the Tree at 4:00 PM sharp. This method was effective for gathering the larger parts of town in quick time, getting the news out by barking commands.

Flaky took a more subtle approach. She entered calmer parts of town which were the least active compared to Flippy's decided locations of interests. Instead of yelling out the news, she spread the word to individuals or small groups, quietly getting the announcement out to others that would slowly breach out to tell other Tree Friends. By hitting smaller groups that were well hidden or unnoticeable, she was able to raise attention to groups of people who would willingly spread the word onto others nearby, which, in turn, spread the news across town. It was a small but effective approach.

With the two working simultaneously, the word of a big announcement happening today picked up in heat rather quickly. Tree Friends who heard the news in one section of town went to other parts to yell out the planned event, whose importance raised the curiosity of many Tree Friends. _What was the announcement going to be? Why at the base of the big tree? What could be so important?_

Whatever the case, all of the questions that arose from the announcement, from both Flippy and Flaky, only created a rise in interest of hearing the news. If a small group of Tree Friends were out telling the news now, it had to be important, and everyone should be there to listen. The event was, indeed, going to be a big one.

As Flippy and Flaky continued to address the crowds of people within the boundaries of Happy Tree Town, the Stranger sat at the base of the tree, leaning his back against the bark while keeping his head down. He pushed his legs out to lay at an angle, allowing him to rest his arms on his raised knees to relax.

But how could he relax? As the Stranger sat quietly by the huge tree that cast a shadow large enough to cover nearly half the park it rested in, his mind was clouded with thoughts of fear and doubt. Today will be the deciding moment that all of his hard work will pay off, taking him and everyone else home. He had one chance to convince the Tree Friends to convert to the truth, and even then, the possibility of anything happen was minimal.

And what could he say? What words can he use to rally the audience into believing him? He tried once and failed miserably. Today may well end up just the same as before: a disastrous and embarrassing attempt of saving others. But he had to try; the Stranger worked too hard and for too long to come to this very moment to just quit. He had to finish the fight, and today was the time to do it.

The Stranger heard the sound of snow being crunched, the sound becoming more audible and getting closer to him. He looked up to see two familiar faces that warmed his doubting heart. Flippy was standing up straight, his hands inside his BDU jacket and while giving a small grin. Flaky, who stood next to him, was shaking a little while keeping her hands within the thick pockets of her coat, but she kept a warm smile as she looked at the Stranger.

The Stranger smiled at the sight of his two friends, one old and one new, and reached out his hand to Flippy to be lifted back to his feet. The Stranger got himself into a stable position on the snow-covered ground, and brushed off some of the dirt that came with him from sitting down for too long. He kept his eyes on his friends, who held their smiles in place.

He nodded his head as placed a tiny grin on his face. "So… it's been done?" Instead of replying with words, Flippy and Flaky moved aside to give the Stranger a clear view of hundreds of incoming Tree Friends down the small incline, coming from all entrances of the park. They came in masses, all coming in together like a marching rally. He could hear the loud sounds of conversations combined together to form a loud volume of cluttered speech, all of it involving this meeting.

The Stranger took note of the many people coming in. Upon the hundreds and hundreds of generics, he was able to point out the many unique Tree Friends that he requested of Flippy and Flaky to alert, and noticed they were successful in accomplishing that task. From Petunia to Giggles, Handy to Cuddles, Pop to Cro-Marmot, and even Splendid (who caught word thanks to his incredible hearing powers), all of them showed up, and took front row positions in front of the crowd.

The Stranger was startled after hearing the sound of his watch going off. He looked at his right arm and pulled away the coat sleeve to reveal the watch, stating the time was now '4:00 PM.' He smiled while nodding his head, turning the alarm off to seize the sound. It was time. It all comes down to this very moment. And the Stranger was ready to finish it.

He looked up to his friends again, who stood by his sides, Flippy on the right and Flaky on the left, giving him reassuring smiles. They supported his word no matter what, the two Tree Friends he can absolutely count on of trusting him. They were ready to finish this entire fiasco right now as much as he did, and were ready to lend a hand when needed.

The Stranger felt a soft hand reach his left shoulder and looked to see Flaky staring at him, a cheerful tear almost appearing in her right eye. He smiled at her, and was grateful to have her by his side this moment. But then he was sent into shock from her latest move, just before he was about to say anything to the crowd; Flaky leaned in and kissed the Stranger's left cheek, planting her soft lips on his rough fur.

His face turned slightly red as Flaky backed off, still holding her smile. He felt her lips touch him once, but only when he was in pain. This kiss felt more to him, and only wanted to stand and enjoy it more. Flaky giggled at his shocked stance and gestured him to look forward at the massive crowd, who were beginning to turn silent as the time for the announcement was here.

The Stranger snapped back into reality and nodded his head and looked forward once more at the crowd, every Tree Friend keeping their eyes on him. His body shook a little, fear and doubt rushing into his mind once more, with a little hint of stage-fright from the vast number of the attending audience. The Stranger took a deep breath, calming his state of mind and sanity, and closed his eyes as he meditated on what his first words were going to be.

_STRANGER!_

The Stranger's peaceful thinking will be broken as the mad man returned back with a dark voice that rang through his head. He cringed at the loud sound, still keeping his position as he left his eyes closed, hoping to not make a scene in public. He spoke silently in his head to avoid confusion from the crowd. "What the hell do you want now?!"

_Stranger, this is it. I am warning you one more time. ONE LAST TIME! I have been easy, too easy on you, and now I must take affirmative action, full control of everything above you. This is your final warning, Stranger. Back away right now, tell the crowd to leave and go back to their original positions, and STOP EVERYTHING! No more hero work, no more saving, just LEAVE and stop this fight once and for all. I will not ask you again, Stranger!_

The Stranger stood patiently, his eyes still closed as he thought on the mad man's words. Nine months of living in hell, nine months of fighting death and destruction, nine months of living in fear of death every second, and he was being told right now to stop, that everything he worked for should be tossed aside as if it were worth nothing.

"Fuck you; I don't have to take your shit anymore, and neither will they. It's over, I won, admit it now and end it once and for all."

_STRANGER! THIS. IS. SERIOUS! Think about what you are doing and who you are messing with! You go out there right now and tell them the truth, and I swear, I will destroy you and every person in this world. Everything will be brought to shambles, erased from existence. I will kill every person here, ending their lives and their memories. All your work will be abolished, and when I kill all your friends and destroy this world, I will kill you, and we all know what the result will be._

The Stranger waited for a short time, once again thinking deeply on the mad man's warning. He then opened his eyes and stared straight forward, no expression on his face being made. "I'll take my chances…"

_STRANGER, DON'T-_

The Stranger blocked out the noise of the mad man. He no longer kept his focus on his taunting and threatening words, but instead focused on what mattered now: finishing the fight.

He took a few steps forwards in front of Flippy and Flaky, who still stood by his sides. The Stranger looked back and forth, observing the crowd one more time, making an estimate of over a thousand attendees, with only 21 being necessary for this battle to finally end. He looked beneath him to notice every unique Tree Friend was standing in front of everyone else, which made this mission perfect since they are the only ones that truly mattered.

The Stranger cleared his throat, stretched his body, took a deep breath, came up with the words to say, and reached out his arms forward while raised in the air, getting everyone to notice him. He spoke loudly and with a strong tone. "Good afternoon everyone! It's great to see such a massive turnout here today. I honestly expected about… only 20 of you to show up, but I guess this is better."

The entire crowd made a sensible chuckle as they kept their eyes on the Stranger. He made a good laugh; now he has their attention. The Stranger dropped his arms and smile and spoke clearly. "You are all probably wondering many questions this moment. Who is this man? What will he say? What does he want? Should I go to the bathroom now or later? The answer is no to the last one, just hold it a bit." Another sensible chuckled was made throughout the crowd.

"Well, at least one of those questions will be answered… and the answer I am about to give you… will change everything. My name is…" The Stranger stood still a second before shaking his head. "Well who I am doesn't matter right now, but what does matter is what I have to say. I know something that none of you know. I know a truth, a terrible truth, a truth that is indeed horrific and terrifying, and it must be told to you all right now. And I can only hope that, when I finish speaking, you will all be convinced that it is, indeed, the reality of life itself."

Everyone in the crowd gasped at his statement. _A truth? A terrifying truth?! A truth we don't know but he does?! What could it be?!_ All of these questions only instilled fear and curiosity into all of the observing Tree Friend's hearts, their eyes opening widely as they stared at the Stranger, who surprisingly stood calmly while watching the crowd.

He knew he had their full attention. They were ready to hear. Now was the time to see, though, that they will accept it. "Everyone… this world… everything you see… from the buildings we enter… to the land we walk across… and the bodies we all live in," The Stranger took a break of silence, taking a deep breath to say the words he wanted to say for months, "is nothing but a lie."

Everyone in the crowd yelled loudly at the last word: 'lie.' The Stranger had just told over a thousand of innocent people that the life they live is nothing but a lie. _What does he mean by this? How can this be possible? Why would he say such a thing?! Is this man even trustworthy?!_

The crowd began to converse to each other, discussing what they just heard from an unknown man they saw only for a short time. Their volume of discussion rose as they stayed in their groups, all of them still keeping their eyes on the Stranger with confusion, fear, and curiosity.

The Stranger reached out his hands again and yelled with a stern voice. "Everyone, please, calm down and listen!" The voices of the crowd slowly died down as they heard the Stranger speak once more. "Look, I know it sounds preposterous, like just the words of an insane man that it is nothing but a hoax, but it is indeed true." The Tree Friends continued to leave their eyes on the Stranger, staying silent as he continued to speak.

"The reason I know this truth, this awful truth, is because I am different from you all. All of you are not what you are, the 'Tree Friends' if you will. Instead, you are actually human beings, live humans that are all trapped in a virtual world that is designed to make you look and act the way you do now. You've been here for possibly years. But I, on the other hand, am different. I have only been here for nine months. I am an outsider of this world, new to this hellhole, and because of it, I was able to avoid the many restrictions and rules you all face today, including forced to lose all memories of the outside world."

"With this ability to retain my memories, I was able to observe this world from my point of view, and listen and discover the secrets that happen here. Living in this world, I have ruled that many of you, nearly every day, is destined to die in some form, normally something abnormal, exaggerated, or plain gruesome. Upon death, your memories are erased, making you unable to remember the events that occurred before hand."

The Stranger looked down an observed Petunia. "Not only that, but upon every day, wounds are recovered and destruction is repaired to a state as if nothing ever happened. Petunia, remember yesterday, the fire at the house?" Petunia nodded. "Well, you see, if we weren't there to save you, you would have been destined to die, unable to save yourself because this world said you had to die; you had no choice."

"But because of me, an outside source of this world, came in to assist you, we cheated the world and its intended goal, which allowed you to survive an accident that was purely blown out of proportion. And look at you now. Yesterday, you were covered in ash, burn marks and bruises. Today, you are clean as a whistle, and yet you still retain the memory"

Petunia observed herself and realized she was indeed free of any wounds, despite the damage she took at the burning house. The Stranger looked over at Pop and began question him. "Speaking of houses, Pop, your house caught on fire, yes?" Pop nodded while holding his son close to him, remembering the tragic memory. "Well, that entire house collapsed that day. But now, all of a sudden, it is repaired back to its original state, as if nothing happened, but you still recall it happening."

Pop looked down confused, still grasping onto his son tightly. He remembered seeing his house that night completely destroyed, along with his son severely injured from the smoke he inhaled. But now… it was clear, all signs of disaster erased._ How was this possible?_

The Stranger noticed the confusion that some of the Tree Friends were having, all of them having their own set of doubts after hearing the evidence be spoken clearly. For the first time, they were actually taking deep consideration, thought about the world around them. The Stranger nodded his head, seeing that progress was going smoothly. He had to show more, however, to keep them convinced enough to reveal the answer to it all.

He stood up straight and took a few steps back until he was next to Flippy and Flaky once more. The Stranger then looked over at Flaky and spoke loudly for the other Tree Friends could hear. "And it isn't just recent events such as that has occurred. These disasters have been going on for years, these exaggerated events that are far from reality. And one such person has seen it more, and survived it, longer than any of you." He gestured his hand to Flaky, which everyone stared at with awe. Flaky blushed as everyone brought their attention to her, making her shy.

The Stranger smiled and continued to speak. "She has survived countless disasters, from a tower falling upon her to surviving an attempted murder in her own home. Flaky here has seen the danger herself, and is the first to accept this truth before any of you did." He leaned in to her ears and whispered silently. "Give them something convincing, Flaky. I know you can do it."

Flaky nodded her head with a serious expression, and walked forward a few steps while waving her arms in the air. While the Stranger was still, even after months of living in this world, unable to understand their language, he watched how Flaky gestured her hands and walk back and forth, her vocal tones rising up and down during parts of her speech. From his position, he could see her describing the events of the tower, plus any moment with the Stranger she knew would be convincing words to believe him.

The Stranger smiled widely as he watched Flaky successfully woe the crowd with her words. The shy girl was standing in front of a huge crowd to help him, aiding his goal to save everyone. She was amazing at this, and could not be happier to see her work the crowd.

After she stopped speaking, she turned around and gestured the Stranger once more. He nodded and faced the crowd, who were staring in shock of all of Flaky's speech, retelling so many events that seemed even more convincing coming from a well-known source.

The Stranger was not done yet, though, as he took a gander at Flippy, standing tall in a parade-rest position. He gestured his hands for the crowd to see him. "Flaky is not the only other Tree Friend to accept it, but this man here is also one who knows what this world is like, for he is one of the first to break his own character and become his own man." Everyone kept their eyes on Flippy, some in shock while others in fear from the sight of the solider. The Stranger walked up to him and whispered in his ear. "You know what to do, Flippy. Tell them your side."

Flippy nodded and went to attention. He walked forward and addressed the crowd with a strong voice. He stood still in front of the crowd, slowly observing the curious eyes of the Tree Friends beneath him. Like Flaky, his language was untranslatable to the Stranger, but his vocal patterns were easily decipherable.

Flippy told about his past, what he had faced, what his life was forced to become that wasn't because of him but by something else. He told everyone about how he was designed to be a killer, which shocked everyone in the crowd, some of them wanting to run away at the sound of the man talking was a murderer. Flippy, however, calmed them down after telling his story with the Stranger, with the fateful day at Happy Tree Woods where he finally eradicated Evil, and became pure once more.

The fact that even a person in this world is forced to live a dreadful lifestyle was more proof to the Tree Friends of the type of world they lived in. They believed this was reality beforehand, never taking into consideration of the many faults in life. But now, it seems more convincing to hear the words of two other individuals along with a single event that proved other cases. _Buildings repairing themselves? People instantly healed? Death causing memory lost? People designed to live a certain life despite them never being that way before? None of this could be real. So why does it happen?_

Flippy came back to stand by the Stranger, and gave a quick nod, knowing he did his part of convincing and was proven successful. The Stranger returned the nod and faced the crowd once more. They all stood in shock and confusion, yet none stood up to question the Stranger, Flaky or Flippy. Instead… they were believing in them. But they still needed an answer to all of this, and the Stranger knew now was the time to reveal it.

He took a step forward again and raised his arms in the air, grabbing the crowd's attention. "Now, I know what you heard just now is scary and possibly something you never wanted to hear. Trust me, I was scared the first time I found out. I wanted to ignore it just like you all, but a situation like this cannot be ignored; it must be addressed."

The Stranger dropped his arms and continued to speak loudly. "But none of you have to fear anything, for I know why this happens, why these situations occur, why you are all here today in this rotten world, and what is behind all of this chaos. I know… because he told me."

The Tree Friends all stood straight, hearing the Stranger and pondering his last few words. _He? Who is he referring too?_

The Stranger tilted his head back to look up towards the blue sky, and waved his hand for others to look up as well. "Everything that happens is not by mere coincidence. Anything that happens, from the simple mistake to a terrible catastrophe, and the way everything is now, from your bodies to this world, is all caused and designed by an evil mad man, a human being like us, but instead cowers and hides beyond this world, and acts as God to control our lives."

The Stranger faced the crowd again as they all dropped their heads. "This mad man has spoken to me numerous times, foretelling me multiple dangers that I refused to accept but were proven true. He told me the arrival of Flippy, he haunted me with his 'powers' to show what kind of destruction he can caused. He has admitted this world to be his own creation, that you are slaves to his work, and has only proven himself to be an evil God that controls us all."

All the Tree Friends who stood beneath the Stranger began to whimper and cry in fear. The news of this world being ruled over by an evil God, and that everything that happens will be from him? Worse, they are all destined to die without their own consent, no choice but to accept it because it is all controlled by some mad man? This was tragic news that was, sadly, a reality, and one they were just now being aware of.

They could not make out anything of the announcement. So their world is fake, their bodies are shells for their real forms, they are destined to die, and everything that happens is done by a mad man. What can they do to avoid all of this? Is there anything they can do to be free from this cursed world?

The Stranger noticed their questioning and feared looks and raised his arms once more to grab their attention. "There is a way, though, that I believe, if done right here, right now, all of this," he gestured his hands across the crowd of people and the environment around him, "from the forced death cycle to your false identities, can all be erased, freeing every one of us from this world and go back to our own homes."

The crowd went silent. Instead of questioning the Stranger, they now decided to listen to his plan. If what he says was true, if everything that happens now can be stopped, than why judge him? If there is a world better than the one they live in, than it is best to risk it and accept whatever the Stranger had to say.

He stood tall and spoke with a strong voice, staring proudly at the crowd beneath him who all gave every bit of attention to him. "I have told you the truth that was hidden from your eyes and memories for over a decade. You have just witnessed, for the first time in your lives, the reality of this world and how it works. You now know everything that was kept secret from you. So, that leaves only one action left for you all to perform."

The Stranger walked forward and reached out his arms and gestured the entire crowd that surround him. "If you all can stand up and accept this truth, that what I say is indeed the reality of this world, that you all break from this destined course of your lives, break from your character and fate, become your own free person and decide to not follow what this world states that you must do, there is the chance we can break this false reality, forever destroying it as no one will be truly attached to it, and we can fight back the mad man's rules, never again having to listen to him. If you accept the truth now, he will lose control of you, and thus, have no choice but to set us free, and all of the troubles you see today will never have to be witnessed again."

He lowered his arms and nodded his head. "So… do you believe me?"

The Stranger stood silent, his arms by his side as he looked left and right, observing every Tree Friend beneath him. No one made a single sound or gesture. Not a single person has yet made a response to the Stranger's words. There was only silence that was being emitted from the crowd of people.

The Stranger's mind started to have doubt once more. This silence was scaring him to death, sending him into a state of panic. He did all he could to convince them, saying everything he had to say the best way he could, and used all the evidence, along with the aid of two friends, to support his cause. And there was still that dreadful chance that it will have been all for nothing. He closed his eyes and cringed at the thought, and prayed silently it will be successful.

Then he heard a sound, a little squeak that was energetic in tone. The Stranger opened his eyes and looked up, and noticed a beautiful sight that brought joy and peace to his heart.

Cub, who was being held tightly in Pop's hand, was waving his arm in the air, with a happy smile on his face. He flung his arm in the air multiple times with excitement in his eyes, and kept speaking in a high pitch tone that, saying a word that made the Stranger smile across his entire face.

"Me!"

As Pop watched his son wave his hand in the air, shouting out to the Stranger to show his support for his word and the truth, he raised his own hand in the air, and spoke with a deep voice and nodded. "Me."

The Stranger looked shortly across from Pop to see another hand raised, this one yellow in color. Upon inspection, it was Cuddles, who gave a grin and a quick nod. "Me."

The continuation of support was followed by Handy who, despite not having hands, used his stubby arms to swing back and forth and yell loudly. 'Me!"

The Stranger began to shed a tear of joy as he watched the entire crowd slowly begin to raise their hands, including Lammy, Lumpy, Russell, Lifty, Shifty, Petunia, Giggles, Splendid, Sniffles, and every other Tree Friend, both unique and generic, to show their support for the Stranger.

There was no word he could use to describe his emotions this very moment. After months of fighting, it all paid off in the end. Every Tree Friend has now accepted his word; he has gained the support of the entire population of Happy Tree Town. And, more importantly, he grabbed the support from the unique Tree Friends, the real ones that are trapped, the slaves to the mad man. But now, with their minds accepting the truth, they no longer have to follow his rule; freedom was in their grasp.

The Stranger wiped away a tear from his eye as Flaky and Flippy came up to his sides. He looked back and forth to see the faces on his friends, who all gave a warm smile and a slow nod. They did it. It was a major victory today; a victory they will never forget, even when they finally exit this world.

The Stranger nodded and placed his hands by his hips, standing proudly at his achievement. "It's done. We won. Now all we have to do now is wait for that son of a bitch to-"

The Stranger's victory speech would be cut off short as a loud bang was heard across the world. Everyone who was attending the announcement dropped to the ground while covering their head, the sound almost acting like a lightning strike hitting right next to them. The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky stood their ground by the base of the tree, looking around sharply wondering where the sound came from.

The Stranger then looked up towards the sky and noticed the blue color transforming into a blood red, and storm clouds began to cover all of Happy Tree Town with their menacing dark-grey color. His eyes widen as he constantly heard the sound of thunder being crackled across the sky, and a small breeze that has suddenly begun to pick up. He could not explain what was happening.

But he would not have to think long to know exactly where this change in weather was coming from, as the sound that came up next terrified him to the point of sending him into cardiac arrest. And this particular sound was not heard just by him anymore. But now, it was heard by everyone.

_SO, NOW YOU ALL THINK I'M JUST SOME PATHETIC GOD NOW, HUH?! IS THAT WHAT YOU ALL THINK NOW?! BECAUSE SOME RANDOM STRANGER TELLS YOU SO?! YOU THINK YOU ALL CAN JUST CHANGE NOW, BECOME SOME REBEL GROUP AGAINST ME, FIGHT ALL MY HARD WORK AND ACT LIKE IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING?!_

The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky all huddled up together in fear as the crowd beneath them began to scream in terror, the sound of a dark and evil God suddenly speaking to them in a terrifying sound that shook them to the core. They had no idea what they could do; a powerful man was, all this time, watching them constantly, and there was no plan available on what to do next.

The sky above them began to rotate, the clouds moving in a circular motion as they began to darken in color. Lightning continued to strike the ground in rapid intervals, and the wind began to pick up in a strong breeze, almost pushing down the Stranger and his friends.

As they held their ground as best as they could, the mad man returned again with his evil voice that scared everyone.

_I AM YOUR MASTER! I AM YOUR GOD! YOU ARE TO ALWAYS OBEY BY MY RULES, FOR THIS IS MY WORLD! AND IF YOU ALL RATHER FOLLOW THE WORDS OF A STRANGER INSTEAD OF YOUR GOD, THAT YOU RATHER REBEL AGAINST YOUR MASTER AND FAIL TO BOW TO MY RULE, THAN YOU ARE WORTH NOTHING TO ME! YOU ARE ALL NOTHING BUT VERMIN, AND YOU MUST BE TAKEN CARE OF!_

Everyone who stood helplessly beneath the dark clouds look above them and noticed something horrific. A large hole was beginning to open within a small patch in the clouds, and an orange light was slowly rising in luminosity. The Stranger and his friends watched as well, staring in fear and shock as what was going to be emitted from the open gap in the sky.

The Stranger's eyes widen in absolute horror as he noticed a fierily aura forming around the hole, and began to assume the worse situation possible. There was no doubt that nothing good was coming out of there, and began to yell loudly to the screaming crowd. "EVERYONE, GET-"

As he spoke to the crowd, the hole in the sky shot down a giant burning boulder as if it were launched by a catapult. The Stranger saw the flaming rock heading towards a large patch of generic Tree Friends, and was dropped to the ground, smashing their bodies. Upon the boulder's heavy impact to the ground, a shockwave cracked the ground and sent everyone to their knees.

The Stranger quickly pushed himself up and noticed the medium size rock, which crushed the bodies of a dozen innocent Tree Friends, their bodies smashed into pieces and set to flames as the fire continue to emit from the boulder. He began to hyperventilate at the sight of the massive destruction and murder that one rock was able to cause. And it was a powerful tool summoned by the mad man.

Everyone in the crowd frantically ran in different directions, oblivious to the world as they were sent into a state of insanity and panic. They were going to be killed, and they had no leader to save them all. Death was upon them, and there was no escape from it.

Flippy and Flaky got up to their feet and stood by the Stranger once more, both of them in a state of panic as much as he was, but still held their ground and determination to not stop fighting. They can't give up yet, they had to give moving forward.

As the Stranger tried to formulate a plan, another meteor was shot down from the sky, this time striking down at the base of a tower, destroying its foundations and causing it to fall to the ground in flames. Those who were near the building were instantly crushed by the falling rubble or consumed by the deadly smoke, and the shockwave was able to damage other buildings and send people down to the ground.

The three friends ran forward, still trying to think of a way to escape this mass homicide being caused by a God they cannot see. As they try to come up with an escape plan, the Stranger heard a hissing sound emitting from the tall tree, and observed the base of it to notice another terrifying sight.

Looking closely at the tree, he was able to piece together that this was no natural tree. In front of his view, he watched a door disguised as the bark on the tree slowly rise upward, revealing a bright light that nearly blinded anyone who stared at it. The Stranger brought up his arms to his squinting eyes as he watched the giant door slowly open to reveal the large room that always hid inside the 'tree.'

He looked up to the sky once more and listened to the evil voice of the mad man once more.

_IF I CAN NOT MAKE YOU BOW TO ME, THAN PERHAPS THEY WILL!_

The Stranger looked forward and leaned in to examine multiple shadowy figures emerge from the bright light of the tower. He stood still, trying to examine the mysterious figures and what their purpose was.

He gasped at the sight of their full reveal upon exiting the gate of the tower. They were dark shadows of the figures of Tree Friends, their bodies all charcoal black with dark smoke emitting around their bodies. Their eyes were crimson red, and their teeth were nothing but sharp blades that were dripping with blood. But it wasn't the bodies that scared the Stranger the most.

It was that each of these Shadows had a deadly weapon that resembled something from the medieval periods. Some carried small knifes to large swords. Some wielded bows with sharp arrows. And the most fearsome of Shadows were in what appeared to be armor carrying maces or axes. They were an evil army of troops, every one of them summoned by the hands on an evil God.

The Shadows stood in front of the tower, with an uncountable number behind the first rank. The Stranger could not count the number of Shadows emerging from the gate, as there was no sign of them stopping from spawning. He took a few steps back while shaking with fear, Flippy and Flaky following suit.

Then he heard the last words of the mad man, which signaled only death and defeat to his entire plan.

_KILL! THEM! ALL!_

The Shadows that stood in front of the Tree all shouted in a large chant, and, with one more battle cry, charged downward to the crowd, their weapons raised and ready to kill.

The Stranger yelled loudly to the already screaming Tree Friends. "RUN! EVERYONE, RUN!"

He made an about face and beckoned in fear to Flippy and Flaky, both who instantly agreed to follow by his side. As the three ran, they all yelled out to every Tree Friend they could see, anyone who was in a state of panic and unable to make a decision. "EVERYONE, FOLLOW US! FOLLOW US NOW! ESCAPE THE TOWN, NOW!"

This message was repeated non-stop, grabbing every Tree Friend's attention, both unique and generic. The Stranger observed that the most important group, the unique ones, had caught word already and instantly followed the Stranger. Anyone else was unnecessary, but the generics who heard followed suit.

The Stranger and his collected group of Tree Friends did their best to not look back at the destruction, but their fear got the best of them. As he turned his head around while escaping the park with hundreds of Tree Friends, he watched how those who were unsuccessful in escaping be captured or slaughtered by the Shadows, either smashing them with hammers or shooting them with arrows. Everyone who was unable to escape was brought to their untimely deaths.

To help with the retreat, Splendid kept his position in the air to help as many Tree Friends avoid the rising army of Shadows coming from the tower. Stopping them now was useless; they head to escape at all costs. His lasers came in handy to ward off Shadows from Tree Friends and his strength help removed rubble from destroyed buildings that were torn down by the constantly falling meteors of the sky. He was on a non-stop work of helping out as many people as he could.

The Stranger faced forward again and ran down the streets with all the Tree Friends he could aid behind him. His heart was pounding and fear was filling his mind as multiple meteors continued to fall from the sky in front of him, and the Shadows behind them catching up to their position, only at certain points being stalled by Splendid.

He was scared, scared and sent into doubt about how he could possibly fight this off. He was running for his life along with hundreds of others, and he had no ability to fight these monsters off. The Stranger was on a retreat that only proved his work to be labeled as a defeat.

They ran. All they could do right now was run and scream in fear. The world was coming to an end, and the mad man was enjoying every second of his slaves being tortured, killed, or sent into a panic frenzy. The Stranger shed a tear as he could hear the mad man above him laugh sadistically, watching his only opposition flee from battle.

The Stranger, Flippy, Flaky, and all the generic Tree Friends they were successfully able to grab the attention of were now running up a hill on the outskirts of town, Splendid still flying high above them to fend off the Shadows from approaching any closer. As the retreating Tree Friends escaped the boundaries of Happy Tree Town, the Shadows came to a halt and yelled in an evil victory screech, sending chills down the Stranger's spine.

As he made it to the top of the hill, the Stranger turned around and watched the destruction behind him. He breathed heavily and his body shook in fear and depression as Happy Tree Town was lit up in flames. The Shadows were practically covering the entire town with the dead bodies of generic Tree Friends and the meteors destroying multiple buildings. There was no blue sky or white clouds; only the bellows of dark ash and blood that blanketed the entire world.

The Stranger stood still in a trance as the screaming Tree Friends pushed him aside to continue running. He cried inside his mind. He was warned about this. His vision gave him a clear example of this exact moment. Again, he denied it all. And the results of his actions caused the destruction of an entire town and the doom of all the innocent people in the world. His action to attempt to save everyone was going to kill them all.

He fell to his knees in defeat, crying softly as he kept his eyes on the destruction and death that stayed in front of his eyes. The Stranger looked down in depression, feeling only defeat after all of his hard work.

He then heard the voice of the mad man once more, which only made his situation even worse.

_Ah, what are you doing Stranger? Don't you want to fight me? Isn't that why you came all this way to do? Why are you running Stranger? Are you afraid to lose? Are you afraid to die? Or is it because you now realize the results of your actions and now you will have all your friends die? Come on, Stranger, this is what you asked for, so come and get it!_

The Stranger continued to cry in utter defeat, not wanting to move from his position as he now lost the strength and will to fight forward. But then he was brought back to attention as he felt a firm hand grab onto his shoulder. He looked over to notice the green hand of Flippy, who was staring at him in fear while gesturing his hand to get up to run.

Reluctant at first, the Stranger decided to get up with the assistance of Flippy. Once he was back to his feet, Flippy made a mad dash back to the retreating crowd of surviving Tree Friends, yelling out to them to gain their attention and follow his lead. What started out with over a thousand innocent Tree Friends was now reduced to only a few hundred generics, with only the unique Tree Friends being the only group to have survived.

The Stranger ran forward as he looked back to the destruction and waste behind him, and heard the terrible voice of the mad man one more time.

_Oh come back here, Stranger! You can't hide forever! You will come back, Stranger, and I will be ready for you!_


	15. Ch 14: Hope

**Chapter 14**

**Hope**

* * *

Run.

That's all he could do.

It's what everyone else could only do.

Is just run.

Run as far away as possible and never turn back; not even for a split-second.

All hope for victory, for freedom, was now crushed and shattered; nothing remained.

Any chance to see just a small shimmer of light was erased from everyone's minds, for hope was destroyed in everyone's hearts.

And all fingers pointed to him, for if he never stood up once, none of this destruction and despair would ever affect their lives.

But it was too late; the damage was done, and the effects were already taking their toll on the masses.

The Stranger could only feel defeat, dishonor, tragedy, and, most of all, helplessness. For in the end, despite his strength and will to fight, he failed in the end.

When the Stranger finally revealed to the world that everything they knew was nothing but just a virtual world designed by an evil man, which proved successful to convince, the mad man finally crawled out of his shell and revealed himself to the entire world. But, as warned to the Stranger beforehand, the mad man went on a rampage since his pets would no longer obey him, and used his god-like powers to rain hell and destruction throughout the city, killing anyone he could get his hands on.

Upon the falling debris that was summoned, the mad man also created an army of Shadows, Tree Friends who have the appearance of pure darkness and an aura of evil, to hunt down and kill the innocent people who were unable to escape the clutches of the mad man and his army. There was no hope of fighting back, for they lacked the power to even think of defending themselves.

And none of this would have happened if the Stranger kept his mouth shut, and instead, just sit down and surrender. Despite every warning that was made before his stand in front of the crowd, the Stranger once again disobeyed and thought the mad man was nothing but a bluff. Due to his actions, he was able to convince the Tree Friends of the truth of the world, but at the cost of their lives, for now the mad man did not intend to just kill him, but everyone that currently lives in the world. He was warned, and he rebelled once again.

It was his fault. And he had no idea how to fix this situation.

After running for what felt like hours from the destruction and chaos that roamed throughout Happy Tree Town and the surrounding areas, the Stranger and the surviving Tree Friends followed a commanding Flippy, leading the charge to find a safe location far away from the town. As he ran, the Stranger constantly looked back at the Apocalyptic setting that shadowed over the land.

What was once blue skies and white clouds was nothing but a crimson color with clouds of dark ash and dust. The air smelled of death, and the snow beneath them was melted into nothing but puddles of water as the dark skies and burning destruction from the destroyed town gave a warm feeling of fear and death. No matter where he turned his head, the Stranger only saw death coming from the skies, with not a single shed of light to bring hope or inspiration to him or the Tree Friends.

The constant sprinting was brought down to a slow march of refugees huddling together for comfort and support. The Stranger, who stayed in the far back away from everyone, watched helplessly as Tree Friends cried into each other's shoulders, and those who were wounded were limping while being carried by another. The cries of pain and sadness were the only sound coming from the crowd, and the Stranger could only help but silently shed a few tears along with them. Not just because that their peaceful lives were obliterated, but because he was the cause of it all.

The march continued for a short time, everyone looking down at their feet as they knew looking up would only give them the visible glimpse of death again. Suddenly, the entire crowd was brought to a halt as they heard Flippy shouted loud enough for everyone to hear: "STOP!"

The Stranger shook his head after being in a deep trance of saddening thoughts, and looked up to see Flippy waving his hands in the air while speaking in his native tongue. Curious as to what he was gesturing, the Stranger slowly moved around the crowd of Tree Friends, who stood watching and listening to every word from Flippy, and made his way to meet up with the commanding green bear.

After a short walk around the crowd, the Stranger made it up to Flippy and beckoned him over to come to his position. Flippy nodded to the crowd while keeping his hand up, his palm faced forward to signal them to stay in place.

The Stranger sighed as he placed his hands by his sides and spoke with a depressed tone. "So… Flippy… where did you take us?" Flippy nodded his head without making a smile and pointed his right index finger outward. Following the direction of his finger, the Stranger noticed that Flippy led them to the only place he could think of, a home that was the farthest away from town.

Flippy's own home.

The Stranger turned his head to face Flippy again, who was gesturing the crowd of Tree Friends behind them to an open and large flat patch of land outside of his home, big enough to 'house' all of the surviving Tree Friends to huddle together for comfort… and await their deaths peacefully.

He looked down at his feet while letting out another heavy and depressed sigh, and nodded his head without looking up. "Okay… okay…" The Stranger looked up again and faced the crowd behind him, who were still watching them while crying in pain and fear, all of them scared to face death at such an early age.

The Stranger observed their depressed expressions in their eyes and stood silently for a brief moment, attempting to come up with a calm order for them to follow. Thinking of a simple command, he raised both his arms and hands in the air to grab their attention, which it did.

He yelled out loudly for the just-over 300 Tree Friends could hear clearly. "Alright, everyone, listen up! All generic refugee Tree Friends, I need each and every one of you to walk in an orderly fashion and form a clean camp on the open field outside of Flippy's house, forming long rows of people before forming another row until every Tree Friend has a calm seat."

All the generic Tree Friends that paid attention nodded their heads helplessly and in despair as they knew it was just another way of waiting to die, so they might as well follow through with it. The Stranger continued to speak afterward. "To the unique Tree Friends, I need all of you to calmly walk towards Flippy's house and enter silently and in an orderly fashion. We… we will discuss further matters later on. Clear?" Everyone just nodded their heads without making a sound.

The Stranger dropped his arms to his sides and observed the entire crowd with Flippy as the generics went left to the open field to form a large camp of dying refugees, and the unique Tree Friends moving right to head towards the house of Flippy's. As they watched, the Stranger examined Flippy next to him, who, despite being the strong-willed solider he is, was desperately trying to hold back tears as lacked the hope and will of surviving another day.

Flippy stood up strong and made a grunt sound as he quickly nodded his head. He faced the Stranger and noticed he was watching him. Flippy made no expression at the sight of the Stranger, only staring back silently as the Stranger did the same. After a brief wordless stare-down, Flippy performed an about face to head towards his house with the other unique Tree Friends, and make preparations for their final hours.

As Flippy made his way to meet up with the unique Tree Friends to escort them safely into his barrack-shaped home, the Stranger stood silently to observe his friend and all the Tree Friends walk tirelessly away from him. Watching every last Tree Friend to go to their final resting places, he could only feel sadness at the sight of all the fear, despair and hopelessness that filled the camp of refugees.

He stood at his spot for a short time, just watching the Tree Friends huddle up in the large open field in small groups, families holding each other to comfort them while shedding tears in large quantities. The sound of people crying in pain, both physical and emotional, was disheartening to the Stranger, which was followed by a sharp pain of guilt.

The Stranger sighed and dropped down to the ground beneath him, sitting down in a desperate attempt to calm his mind from the recent tragedy. But he just could not find any reason to have hope. There was not a single reason to have just a tiny glimpse of feeling success. The mad man was finally revealed, and he has showed his strength to the world through terror and brutality. And it was just too much for him.

He brought his knees up to him and rested his head onto them, slowly crying away tears at his failure of a mission he started seven months back. All the hard work, all the determination and will to fight, was all shattered in under an hour's time. It was a beautiful dream only to turn into a terrible nightmare in a split-second. And what came with it was only pain.

The Stranger just sat and laid still on his spot on a small hill overlooking the camp and Flippy's house, Flippy doing whatever he could to keep the unique Tree Friends safe for the time being. For hours, all the Stranger did was sit and cry along with the other Tree Friends, as there was no hope or plan to do anything else.

Then the Stranger felt something; something soft and warm that rested onto his right shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly and rubbed the dry tears away from his face, regaining clarity in his vision. Looking over to his shoulder, he noticed a furry red hand that was grasping his tense shoulder, gently rubbing back and forth that relaxed the stress on his body.

He looked up and noticed a friendly face looking down at him. Flaky, still wearing her thick coat from the beginning of the day, was standing tall over the Stranger with a warm grin on her face, doing her best to instill some hope and happiness to the Stranger by being in his presence.

Her warm smile and soft touch, though, was still not enough to lift the mood of the Stranger. He wanted to feel comforted by the sight of Flaky, but the only feeling he could have was the building guilt that was flooding his small heart. He did not make a single attempt to smile at her, and instead, moved his face downward again, looking at his feet silently.

Flaky kept her hand on the Stranger's shoulder but knew well it was not doing any good. She couldn't help, though, but feel the same amount of pain he was having. Today they all thought it would go by smoothly and peacefully, not this destruction and chaos; it was unexpected by everyone, and brought only disappointed to those who worked hard on a dream they strived for months. She wanted this day to go by smoothly just like he did, and could feel the same internal pain he was facing.

But yet, despite all the troubles, all the chaos and disaster, everything that could possibly go wrong occurring right now, there was a feeling Flaky still had that everyone else seemed to have lost, a feeling that was more important to have right now than ever before.

Hope. Even in the darkest of times with little chance of the light coming out, Flaky still held onto a small glimmer of hope. Instead of looking how dreadful things were, she looked at how things can get better. They survived yet another terrible situation, living another day to fight. They still stood strong and alive, the mad man, even with his power, unable to take them down.

And there still was a chance; a chance for freedom. Perhaps it isn't as easy as planned, but their dream for freedom was still possible. If they fight just a little while longer with all the remaining strength they have, they can still win, they can still escape. The fight was not over yet, and even with her own set of fears that shrouded her thoughts every morning, Flaky was still willing to continue.

With all of this in mind, it confused and saddened her how the Stranger lost such hope to fight. He thought the hardest and longest, truly the only person to bring them this far, and now, with just one more challenge facing them, he has given up. This was not the Stranger Flaky wanted to see, nor the Stranger she saw from the beginning. If they were going to finish the fight, she needed the Stranger to get up one more time, just one more time until it was all over.

Flaky, continuing her best to comfort the Stranger, lowered herself and sat down next to him, noticing he was still keeping his head down with his eyes closed. Sitting down comfortably on the soft grass beneath them, she slid her body over until she was directly next to his side, her presence still unaware. With her body right next to him, Flaky did the last move she could think of to ease him.

She brought her arms to wrap around the Stranger's body, and hugged him tightly while resting her head on his right shoulder. The sudden warmth and touch of her body next to him woke the Stranger up from his terrible depression, and popped his head up to look over with his eyes widened. The Stranger watched Flaky cuddle against his body, her arms tightly grasping his torso while her soft head resting against his tough shoulder. Her eyes were shut as she rested against him, just like the day at the park.

The Stranger's heart was filled with a variety of emotions that he could not translate. He watched her rest against him with a tear in his eye. With the clouds covered in ash and the land reeked of death, Flaky still kept her gentle smile as she held herself against him. Even with the trouble he caused, she was still willing to stay by his side with the feeling of security.

Her smile and soft touch to his body this close made him cry softly, and bring his own arms to wrap around her body. The Stranger grasped her tightly as she did the same, and buried his face in her left shoulder as he shed small tears from his closed eyes. Flaky could feel his sadness by his tough but shaky grasp, and held him tighter as he began to speak.

"Flaky… I'm so sorry for all of this. I did not want any of this to happen, not to you, not to anyone. I wanted to help all of you… and… and instead, I only made it worse. I should never have done anything. I should never have bothered saving everyone. I should have just ended my life at the tower, for none of this chaos would have happened to all of you. I… I failed, and my lost is affecting all of you. I am sorry… Flaky…"

Flaky began to rub the tense backside of the Stranger as he continued to release his emotions while being wrapped in her arms. She felt terrible to hear him say such words, for it wasn't his fault that any of this occurred. He only meant to do good for others, never intending to hurt others. He was thinking of others when he tried to save them, something that the other Tree Friends were unable to do.

And she couldn't count this as a loss; it was just another challenge to appear in front of them, just one more challenge to get away in their goal for freedom. The Stranger had to see that.

They stayed in each other's grasp for a short time before Flaky finally pushed the Stranger away from her softly. He wiped away the tears from his face as Flaky held her smile, still resting her gentle eyes of him. As he sat down watching her, Flaky got back on her feet and looked down at him with arms by her side.

The Stranger was then confused as Flaky reached out her right hand towards the Stranger, making a grasping gesture for him to reach out his hand. Not knowing what she had in mind, he brought his right hand out to meet hers and was hoisted up to his feet, Flaky steadying his body after sitting down weakly for some time.

He brushed himself off as he watched Flaky still holding her smile, never once dropping it. The Stranger waited patiently for what Flaky had in mind, and was getting curious as she brought her hands to her hips. "Flaky… what is it that you want to tell me?"

Flaky, without saying a single word, turned around and started walking towards Flippy's house, not a single gesture to beckon him. His mind filled with questions, the Stranger decided to follow her to Flippy's house without hesitation on what it could possibly be.

After just a short walk away, Flaky stood in front of Flippy's house, her hand on the doorknob and ready to open. She turned around to see the Stranger observing her, and nodded her head towards him as she slowly turned the handle to open the lock.

She slowly pushed the door open, and what the Stranger saw inside made him drop his jaw and his eyes widen to great lengths. What he saw was something that he never expected to see any of them to do in such a time of crisis, and could not explain why they were doing it.

All of the unique Tree Friends who were residing inside Flippy's home were dressed as if they were ready for battle. A large variety of Flippy's camo BDU jackets were dawned on all the adult Tree Friends, perfectly attached to their bodies. Multiple of them were holding and examining knives of all sizes while slowly swinging them around in parrying motions. Some were in groups discussing with each other in serious tones and making gestures with their hands to simulate battle.

And none of them had shown a sign of fear or sadness. They were all acting as if they were soldiers of war, readying themselves for battle with no sign of fear or despair. It was as if that all the trouble that had occurred recently was nothing but a simple accident and they were all dressed to fix it with any hesitation.

The Stranger was baffled by the sight and scratched the back of his head, completely unaware that this is what they were doing while he sat in disgust of himself. Flaky kept her smile as she watched a surprised Stranger staring at all the Tree Friends. He looked much better than the doubting, depressed Stranger she saw only just a few minutes ago.

After staring at the battle-ready Tree Friends, who have not yet notice his entry in the house, the Stranger turned to face Flaky with multiple questions running through his mind. "F-Flaky?! What… what is going on here?! Why are they dressed like that?! Why-?'

As the Stranger spoke out loud in a shocked tone, he noticed from the corner of his eye a proud Flippy exiting his office down the hall of his house. The green solider bear was marching down with an accomplished grin on his face, walking towards the Stranger without batting his eyes away from him.

The Stranger stood hunched over as his confusion was still clouding his thoughts. He just could not make out anything of what was going inside the house. Death and destruction just occurred a few hours ago, and here are the unique Tree Friends dressed for battle with grins on their faces. None of this made sense with all of the chaos that occurred; how can they be so happy now?

Flippy marched up to the Stranger and stood at an attentive position. The Stranger stood up straight, his eyes jotting around as he still ran questions in his mind. He observed Flippy closely, wondering why he looked so proud of himself and what he could possibly want with him.

He was shocked by what Flippy did next. Flippy stood his back up straight, and gave the Stranger a military salute, looking at him with his eyes showing nothing but determination and the will to fight. He kept his hand straight as he held it to his forehead, keeping his position in the salute stature for a short time.

The Stranger looked over at Flaky, who dropped her smile and performed the same action as Flippy, giving him the military salute, even if her hand was slightly off the correct position, but had the same meaning.

He finally looked over to the living room and other parts of the house to see the other unique Tree Friends turn their heads with smiles on their faces, all of them getting up to stand tall with pride. Lumpy, Pop, Petunia, Splendid, Sniffles, and all the other adult Tree Friends, placed their weapons down and gave the military salute to the Stranger, all of them slightly correct except Lumpy, who did a fist over his chest instead of a flat hand at an angle at his forehead. Cub was held in Pop's free hand, waving his hand to the Stranger while speaking childishly in a happy tone.

The Stranger could not believe the sight; everyone in the room was greeting him as if he were some kind of general, a leader to war. None of them seemed to be afraid of what happened, nor look like it affected them at all. In fact, it looked like it made them only want to fight it even more, and they looked at him for guidance.

He looked over at Flippy and Flaky, and spoke slowly as he tried to find the words to describe the moment. "Flippy… Flaky… did… did you do all of this? Did you convince them to… to not be afraid of all of this, despite everything that has happened? You actually made them not be afraid of all of this?!" They both dropped their salutes, and nodded their heads with determined grins on their faces.

The Stranger rubbed his forehead, breathing heavily as he could not make out the situation. "But… but why?! All of this destruction and chaos, your homes, your lives, it's all gone. What makes you even want to continue?!"

There was a short silence from the two Tree Friends, before Flippy got up close to the Stranger just an arm's length away. He then pulled out his sharp combat knife, and pointed out the window near his door that gave clear view of the dark clouds and the tall tower at Happy Tree Town.

Flippy than began to mumble forcefully as the Stranger observed his mouth find the words to say. He looked like he was struggling to say words in his own language as he began to speak.

With just a short wait for an answer, Flippy spoke.

"Fight…for freedom… no matter what."

It was shocking and emotional to the Stranger's ears. Even with what appeared to be a tragic defeat today, the Tree Friends were still able to cling onto a small shed of hope to keep fighting. This was not a loss to them; the battle was not over until they were all gone. To Flippy and Flaky, and now to the other Tree Friends, as long as they know there is a chance for freedom, a better world outside their own, it was worth the risk, even if it could end in defeat.

As the Stranger shed a tear in his right eye and stared at Flippy with happiness clearing away the dark thoughts of his mind, Flaky got up next to the Stranger's right side and quickly went for his right pocket to pull out the Bowie knife he borrowed from Flippy's house. The Stranger looked over a little scared to see Flaky holding a sharp blade, grabbing it without his permission.

He was shocked more when Flaky grabbed his right hand to bring out the flat side of his palm, and placed the blade within his hand to form a tight grasp around the leather handle. The Stranger watched Flaky close his own fingers on the handle, and looked up to see Flaky with a smile while giving a slow nod.

She spoke softly but clear enough for him to hear. "Lead."

The Stranger took the word and let it soak into his mind as the moment moved forward. Lead. There was an upcoming battle, a battle that was practically suicidal to even think of carrying out, and they wanted him to lead the charge. The guy who started the fight will be the one to finish it.

He stared at his reflection in the steel blade, going into deep thought about there want for a fight. The Stranger than moved his head to face the unique Tree Friends in the living room, all of them huddled up as they looked to the Stranger for an answer, awaiting his command.

The Stranger stood still briefly, not making a single sound of making an expression on his face. The Tree Friends were slightly worried that he might say no, that he could still call quits now and accept total defeat, making all of this buildup for a fight for freedom worthless.

He then smiled proudly and gave a quick nod to Flippy. "Alright," he looked at his knife one more time before raising it in the air, the light reflecting off the tip of the blade, "let's fight!"

The Tree Friends in the living room cheered and clap their hands as the Stranger held up his blade with pride, excited to hear his acceptance to lead them into the fight. Flippy gave off another salute, while Flaky stood in the corner with her hands grasping together in front of her waist, a smile and a slow tear running down her face.

The Stranger breathed slowly as he looked around the room, taking in all the hope that was coming from the other Tree Friends. He lowered the knife to his side and slowly placed it back into his right pocket, patting it lightly to make sure it stayed in safely.

He then placed a confused look on his face, and brought his right hand to his chin, rubbing it slowly while entering a deep thought. Flippy was curious as to the sudden change of expression from the Stranger, and waved his hand in front of him while shrugging his shoulders, wondering what was on the Stranger's mind.

The Stranger smiled as he placed his hands to his sides. "Well, I was just thinking here that, if we are going into a battlefield, we're going to need a plan of some sorts, right?" Flippy brought his finger up to speak, but dropped it shortly after. This was actually an idea Flippy did not think of. He and Flaky could convince the other's to keep fighting, but did not actually have a plan for the fight. And, as the Stranger said, with a battle like this, a plan is a requirement, not optional.

The other Tree Friends also stood confused and worried. They were willing to fight, but had no idea how to carry out one. They all looked at each other, trying to think of something to do for the fight, and try to think up one fast.

The Stranger chuckled lightly and brought his hand to Flippy's left shoulder. Flippy looked up and saw the Stranger give him a quick nod and a soft pat to the shoulder. "Well… let's start making one." The Stranger brought his hand away from him and walked around to enter the hallway behind him. The Stranger turned his head around and beckoned Flippy to him. "Flippy, round of the other unique Tree Friends and meet in the office. I think I have a plan we can go forward with." Flippy smiled widely and nodded his head quickly.

As the Stranger headed towards Flippy's office, Flippy beckoned the other Tree Friends to follow with him, which they agreed without question. Flaky following just behind them, it was only a few short dozen seconds until everyone was huddled up in the small office room of Flippy's. As they stood away from the desk in the center of the room, the Stranger was clearing away all the junk on the table until he had only a large piece of paper and a pen on the desk.

Flaky molded her way through the crowd of Tree Friends until she was right up to the Stranger and Flippy, the two looking and talking to each other quietly as they discussed a plan for the fight. She moved around them until she made it to the Stranger's right side behind the desk and Flippy on the left.

After a short silence in the room, the Stranger stood up tall and leaned his arms forward onto the desk, resting his hands on the table just before the piece of scrap paper. He spoke loudly for the entire room to hear.

"Alright, everyone, listen carefully. What we are about to do can only be done once; there is no room for margin of error. If we mess this up, it's all over. Our shot for freedom is now, and we got one shot to do it right, so we have to make it count, people."

The Tree Friends nodded silently without saying the word. "Okay, OPERATION: FREEDOM, that's the name of the game here. The situation is simple: the mad man I've warned you about has finally revealed himself to all of us; he's finally crawled out of his shell and show who he is, and that's an evil god capable of mass destruction. As you have seen, he is capable of sending down destruction and spawning troops in order to kill anything he pleases; he is a force that is not to be played with, and it is obvious now that his sole intention now is to eradicate all of us here now."

"But there is one good thing that has happened thanks to his reveal: his hideout." The Stranger took the pen on the desk and slowly drew a map, with a large tree in the center. "When he summoned up the army of Shadows, the troops I've mentioned, a door was opened in front of the huge tree in the center of town. People, I do believe that is where he was hiding all this time. Within that tower, the mad man is hiding and performing all of his work. That tower is his home, and he has left the door opened for all of us to enter."

The Stranger added an open door on the tree he drew on the map. The Tree Friends were mumbling softly as he continued speaking. "This makes the objective for this mission quite clear. Inside the tower is the mad man, along with what could be the way to leave this false reality and go back to our real homes. Thus, all we have to do is fight our way through Happy Tree Town, make it to the tower, enter the building, and get ourselves home. The objective could not sound any simpler."

The Tree Friends started to make some happy smiles before being dropped to serious frowns. "But carrying out the objective won't be as simple" The Stranger made multiple drawings of buildings and roads, with little dots placed around the entirety of the crudely made map.

"The entire town, as we left, is now crowded with those evil monsters, those Shadows, and they are, by no means, friendly. As we left, I noticed that these guys are killing machines, their sole intent is to murder anything in sight. They wield medieval weapons like swords and bows, and are expertly trained in using them. If I were to say how many troops the mad man has spawned, I say at the very least a thousand, with the possibility to spawn more during the fight. For us alone… we only got around three hundred, and those are just untrained generic Tree Friends."

The Tree Friends began to make a cold sweat, the mission starting to sound less worthy of attempting with every word. "There is still hope, though." The Tree Friends looked up as the Stranger spoke with an inspiring tone in his voice.

"He may have the numbers, but we got plenty of bonuses on our side that can change the tide of battle. First, these guys are nothing more but just summoned AI on a machine; they have no conscience and have no control of their actions. We, however, have the ability to adapt and choose are moves at will, becoming more unpredictable than they could be. Not even that, we can use these generics as bulk forces as command them the same way as they are commanded; with have both wits and control, something they lack."

"Weaponry wise… that's something we'll have to fix soon, but for now, us, the unique Tree Friends, were luckily given some proper tools thanks to Flippy's overstock of military gear, which I am not surprised. With sharp knives for each Tree Friend," the Stranger stopped to look at an eager Cub, "except for Cub and Cro-Marmot for reasons…"

While Cub dropped his smile, the Stranger looked at Cro-Marmot briefly. "Does this guy know I'm speaking? In fact, how did he get here?" Everyone shrugged their shoulders with no answer to give. "Well someone light a fire a melt that guy out of the ice, he can't do anything while stuck in there."

The Stranger shook his head and sighed. "Any, we also got a couple of grenades in Flippy's secret stash as I was told by him, so we can use that to our advantage during the fight."

"Besides weaponry at our disposal, we have our own personal strengths we can use for battle. I mean, sure the mad man has an army, but we got Flippy." Flippy stood tall with a grin, flexing his muscles as the Stranger looked at him. "With military and combat experience, he is the perfect solider for this battle, capable of killing a multitude of troops without breaking a sweat."

The Stranger then faced Splendid, and nodded his head slowly while almost regretting the words to say. "And despite his… well, poor history of his job, we also got Splendid here. He may not be the best hero, but he has so many benefits for us during this fight. Super strength, laser vision, and the best attribute of all, the ability to fly."

Splendid, hearing the nice compliments, jumped upward and hovered above the ground, the other Tree Friends watching him show off his most wanted ability. "With his ability to fly, something that none of the Shadows can do, he can provide aerial support and cover us on the ground while we make it to the tower, his laser vision taking out fortifications that may have been placed by them."

The Stranger faced the crude map again and began making more drawings on it. "As for the town, we know pretty damn well where everything is, since we lived here for an uncountable amount of time. As we know, the deeper we get, the denser the area, making close-quarters combat much likely to occur as we head closer to the tower. The outskirts are a little bit more open, enough to say archers would be placing defenses before we can move in."

The Tree Friends nodded their heads as the plan began to go into more detail. "Now it all comes down to our plan of attack. From my point of view, this is how we're going to enter. We got around 300 generic Tree Friends we can use as bulk infantry. Yes, it sounds evil, but since they are just AI like them, their deaths are not truly a tragic loss. They can weaken the forces in the town as we get closer to the tower. But I don't plan for all of us to go in at once; no, that'll just cause a major cluster of death everywhere."

The Stranger began to draw little squares on the outer edges of the map, labeling one 'Alpha' and another 'Bravo.' "Thus, I propose we cut the troops in half, 150-men platoons. Half of us go in the fight, and when forces dwindle to critical levels, we call in the second platoon, adding a second garrison of reinforcements. By doing this, we don't lose all of us at a single time if we get cornered. I also suggest that we try to round up those who are good with archery and form a third unrelated platoon, staying around the outside and providing covering fire as we move in."

The Stranger began to making lines attached to the boxes and drew through the mock-up roads on the map. "As we move up through the town, the other platoons walk the outer edges, Splendid will fly overhead and find any fortifications, archer nests, and the best route to get to the tower while providing covering fire on my command. You're a valuable asset, Splendid, and despite your past actions, I trust that you can protect us here." Splendid nodded his head with a grunt sound in his throat.

After a brief drawing of the lines going through the town, he stopped on the outer limits of the park where the tower lied. "Once we get deep enough, we should hit the No Man's Land of the tower, an open park that will likely be protected with his best troops, especially archers at the base of the tower, doing all they can to prevent us from getting to the door. This will be a suicide run here, with no cover for us on the way there, but with Splendid and the grace of God, Splendid can move up and lay down destruction and give us a clear path to the gate."

The Stranger flipped the paper over and began to draw an idea of the interior of the tower. "Now, the only person that needs to get in here is me. I HAVE to make it here and survive the battle if we plan to earn freedom, so only I have to enter and make it this far. Once inside, I suspect heavy infantry to be guarding the entry to the mad man, but with strength and willpower, we can easily make it through and climb to the top of the tower."

As the Tree Friends continued to watch silently, they noticed the Stranger to tense up as he drew the top floor. "Once we make it to the top floor, we find the control room, where we will find this motherfucker, beat the living shit out of him, and I BLOW HIS GOD DAMN BRAIN OUT ACROSS THE WALL!" The Stranger slammed the pen on the table while breathing angrily, his mind filled with rage at the thought of the mad man.

He blinked a few times and looked up to see a surprised group of Tree Friends, Pop protecting Cub's ears to not hear the explicit language. The Stranger stood up straight and cleared his throat. "Once the son of a bitch is dead, we find a way on how he controls this world, we use it to our advantage, and, at the end of the day, we will all go home, tasting sweet freedom once again." He smiled proudly as he watched the Tree Friends bring out their own smiles and short nods.

The Stranger placed his hands at his sides and looked at each Tree Friend individually. "Alright, there's the plan, now to assign positions. I'll be the Leading Commander of this operation, with Flippy as my Second. Cuddles, you'll be the Leading Officer of the Archery Platoon since you're a good shot. Splendid, you're our Aerial Support. Russell, you're the Leading Officer of Platoon Alpha, while Pop, you'll lead Platoon Bravo." He took a close look at Cub, who was raising his arm in the air for a position. "Cub…you can…" the Stranger snapped his fingers and made a smile. "You can be the Flag Bearer. It may not sound much, but holding up the flag will bring inspiration to us, so we need that flag to fight. Can you do that?" Cub nodded with an eager smile.

"Good, now that remains for the infantry of the platoons. So, for Platoon Alpha, the units will be Lumpy, Lammy, Lifty, Shifty, Disco Bear, Petunia, and Giggles, along with 150 generics. For Platoon Bravo, the units will be…"

As the Stranger began thinking to fill out the second platoon, Flaky got closer to the Stranger and was looking a little excited to be pick, watching the Stranger point his finger out to the remainder of the Tree Friends and wait until his finger pointed to her. She was ready to fight just like everyone else.

"The units for Platoon Bravo will be Sniffles, Nutty, Mime, Handy, Mole, Cro-Marmot, and Toothy, along with the remaining 150 generics."

As all the Tree Friends accepted their assigned positions, Flaky stood confused… and angered at how, once again, she was being ignored and left out by the Stranger. She did this hard work to rouse up the Tree Friends here to fight for him, and she was going to be just left out, with no notice being made towards her? The thought of being controlled over her position again only made her furious, and she tensed up while being forced to listen to the rest of the Stranger's plan.

The Stranger faced Flippy and placed his hand on his right shoulder. "Flippy, we have but 24 hours before we march to war; don't have much time to get ready. The longer we wait, the stronger the mad man will get. I need you to get these guys and the generics outside to act as much like soldiers as possible. Don't bother training special combat moves, just deliver the basics like formations and defense. Remember, only I have to enter the tower; just train them to defend themselves and buy enough time to finish the fight, clear?" Flippy gave a quick salute and a short nod.

The Stranger smiled and faced the Tree Friends. "Alright… everyone, Flippy here is going to help you and the other generics prepare for battle. Listen to every word he has to say; it'll be the difference between life and death." The Tree Friends nodded their heads and made their way out of the office to enter the field outside.

He turned to face Flippy one more time and gestured his hand to Flippy's bedroom door. "Is it okay that I use your room momentarily? I… need somewhere quiet to recollect my thoughts… since we're about to do something big." Flippy nodded without hesitation, which made the Stranger smile. "Thank you. Now train them, we don't have much time."

Flippy gave the Stranger another salute and performed an about face, walking out of the office and exiting his home to meet up with the Tree Friends outside. As the Stranger watched him leave, he let out a heavy sigh and slowly proceeded to Flippy's bedroom, looking down at his feet as he kept his arms and hands at his sides.

Making it to the bedroom door, he slowly opened it to reveal the large master bedroom he remembered trespassing in three months back. It was still well-furnished and the bed still looked as comfortable as ever. The thick walls of the room kept out the loud drill sounds starting to arise outside, making it the perfect place for the Stranger to relax his mind.

The Stranger nodded his head while letting out a deep sigh. He walked over to the bed and stared at its sheets, his eyes observing the room blankly as he was trapped in his thoughts. While the room was devoid of activity, his mind could not be any more active than it was before.

He leaned his arms onto the edge of the king-sized bed, and looked down at the floor with no emotion on his face. The Stranger shook his head and turned to face the window, letting his ears hear the faint sound of Flippy and the Tree Friends preparing for war.

He shed a tear from his right eye, and looked back down on the floor again. "Why did this all have to happen? Why did I have to be so involved in all of this? And why should they be involved in this? What am I actually going to do once we leave for Happy Tree Town? What's going to happen when we go in to fight? What-?"

His questioning thoughts were interrupted with the sound of the bedroom door opening behind him. Jumped from the sudden sound, the Stranger swiftly turned his head around to see who was the cause of the door opening. His face went from shock to confusion upon the sight of the person.

It was Flaky, firmly gripping the door handle as she marched into the room. The Stranger naturally would be happy at the sight of her, especially now with the work she pulled off. Instead, though, he was confused as Flaky did not look like her normal self.

Instead of the shy-looking smile on her face, the Stranger could only point out pure rage, her eyes evidently showing signs anger as they squinted at the sight of him. Flaky's body was tensed as she kept the grip on the door handle tightly. What was the most surprising, though, is she was dawning one of Flippy's spare camo jackets, similar to the other unique Tree Friends wearing one.

The Stranger was both curious and worried by the current sight of Flaky, and stood up straight to speak directly towards her. "Flaky, what's wrong? What has gotten you so upset all of a sudden, and why are you wearing one of Flippy's jackets?"

"Why?!"

Flaky slammed the door behind her, a loud 'bang' sound that echoed throughout the room. Flaky's sudden outburst actually scared the Stranger slightly, this new emotion from her was something he never seen before, and was not pleased to see such an emotion from her.

The Stranger held up his hands in front of him and tried to speak calmly. "Flaky, take it easy. What do you mean by 'why'?"

"Why?!"

As she yelled angrily at the Stranger again, he noticed Flaky was pointing her finger at the door, her arm straight out as she gestured the room on the other side of the door. Taking a quick thought of what she could be referring to, the Stranger was able to realize what she was mad about, and was beginning to feel guilty knowing what he had done.

However, the Stranger continued his best to stand his ground on his decision, and did his best to ignore the situation. "I… I don't k-know what you are trying to p-point out here, Flaky."

Flaky rolled her eyes in annoyance at the Stranger's terrible attempt at lying to her. She slowly stomped her way up to him, barely a foot away from him. The Stranger began to sweat nervously as he stared into Flaky's eyes, which showed only her anger towards him.

Too guilty to face her, the Stranger turned around and did his best to speak calmly. "Okay… Flaky, I-I know you might be a little mad right now… but… but it's just for the best that-"

As she stood still staring at his backside, Flaky could not hold her anger to be spoken to with the Stranger's back turned. She reached out to his right shoulder and pulled him to face her again, her face only showing signs of increase intensity of her anger.

Surprised by her physical action, the Stranger spoke a little bit more worriedly as he tried to find a way to explain the situation to her. "Look, Flaky, I thank you and Flippy for convincing the others to keep fighting. I didn't know such a thing could be possible, but you were able to pull it off, so I thank you deeply for your work to help in the fight."

He took a brief pause in his reply, still staring at the anger being shown on Flaky's tensed face, and turned away once more to not show his guilt to her. "B-But… I think it's just the best move that you stay here where it's a little bit safer than outside."

Flaky grabbed hold of the Stranger's shoulder once more, and forcefully turned him around to face her again. She spoke loudly with a stern voice, hoping to get the answer she wants to hear. "Why?!"

The Stranger tried to turn away from her, but her grip kept getting stronger with each attempt to break away from her. "B-Because i-i-it's just better that-"

"Why?!"

"B-B-Because I-I think-"

"WHY?!"

"Because I love you too much Flaky, that's why!"

The room went dead silent upon the Stranger's outburst of emotions. The Stranger stood up tall, looking directly at Flaky while breathing heavily from the loud yell he emitted. Flaky stood in shock, confusion, and… another emotion she could not describe. Her grip on the Stranger's shoulders slowly weaken as her eyes widen from taking in the sudden information he revealed to her. She started to shake a little nervously as she kept her eyes on the Stranger, not once looking away.

Flaky brought her hands completely away from the Stranger and let them hang by her sides weakly. She could not fully make out what she was told. The Stranger just admitted he loves her, and yet she did not know how to respond back except continue questioning. 'W-What?"

The Stranger stood tall and inhaled deeply, keeping his eyes on a now shocked Flaky, no longer filled with rage, but now only confusion. He did not know how to respond further; he never thought of telling her as he thought a situation would bring this matter up. But now it was here, and he had to explain the best way he could for her.

He nodded his head slowly and spoke more calmly to not frighten her. "Flaky, the reason why I decided not to bring you into this fight is because I love you too much. There is no other explanation besides that. I love you…"

Upon hearing those three words said repeatedly to her, Flaky's face slowly blushed redder than the color of her own skin. The Stranger was not joking about this; he was indeed in love with her. She brought her hands to grasp in front of her waist and stood still, just observing the Stranger with new emotions for him that she thought she would never have.

But she was still confused. He loved her greatly, but that only wasn't a detailed enough answer for her to know why she was avoided for the upcoming fight. She stuttered with her face still blushing from his reveal to her. "B-B-But…"

The Stranger sighed and began to tense up, trying hard to hold back his feelings as he spoke to her. "Flaky… listen carefully… do you hear that?" The Stranger pointed his finger out the bedroom window, which Flaky followed and opened her ears to hear the sounds of Tree Friends marching and training albeit ineffectively. She nodded her head silently. "Well, Flaky… that's the sound of many innocent people preparing for their deaths…"

Flaky's jaw dropped as she gasped from his negative attitude. Working to their deaths?! How could he say such a thing, after all the work put through and the plan he came up for them, he's saying they're just going to die?!

She started to gesture her hands around, confused by his response. "What?! B-But you-"

The Stranger walked away from her to move towards the window, looking outside to see the Tree Friends being trained the best they could by Flippy, who was working tirelessly giving them only the basics. He shed a tear as he continued speaking. "And Flaky… all of their deaths, every single one of them… will be on my hands… it'll be all my fault."

Flaky continued to stand in surprise at the Stranger's negative attitude. She could not understand why he felt this way, why he was saying such things or why he was blaming himself for all the things that happened, nor did she want to hear any of it. She took a few steps forward, raising her right hand slowly. "No-"

The Stranger snapped his head around to stare straight at Flaky, his body tensing up and his face showing anger. Flaky jumped at the sight of his expression, and backed away slowly as he spoke with agitation.

"Flaky, don't you understand?! All of this," The Stranger gestured his arms in a wavy motion, pointing out everything in the room and more, "all of this shit that is happening right now, is BECAUSE OF ME! This fight we're going in? THAT'S MY FIGHT!"

Flaky continued to walk back slowly as the Stranger continued to tense up, tears beginning to buildup in his eyes. "Flaky, this entire mess right now is MY fight, NOT YOURS, NOT THEIRS, MINE! None of you should be involved in this shit whatsoever!"

The Stranger started walking back and forth, flinging his arms around in anger. "All of this shit started with ME, Flaky. YOU didn't ask for this, THEY didn't ask for this, but I did. All I wanted to do is fix this mess, to have us leave this world peacefully, that's it. But what happened?! I happened! I didn't stop when I should, and look what it has caused!"

He walked towards the bedroom window once more to watch the Tree Friends continue their training exercises. A tear starting run down his face as he helplessly stared at a group of Tree Friends struggling to keep up with others. "This was always MY fight, MY war, not anyone else's. But because of my actions, you all have been caught in the crossfire, and are now being a part of something none of you should ever have to be involved with. I got you all involved in my fight, something that none of you should be a part of. And… and the worse part of this is…"

The Stranger slammed his hand on the window counter, making a loud bang that made Flaky jumped in fear. He yelled out loudly again in pure rage of the moment. "The worse part of this is that innocent lives are going to be sacrificed for something they didn't ask to be a part of. Flaky," he turned his head around, breathing heavily with anxiety and anger, "people are going to DIE! I didn't want to flat out say it, but Flaky, this is near suicidal what we're doing!"

At the end of his latest sentence, Flaky began to simmer down her shaking and begin to feel upset again at his negative thoughts, but couldn't help but agree with the idea that this mission is indeed not going to be a clean one. She stood still and watched the Stranger slowly progress up to her.

"This entire fight we are going in, Flaky, is practically hopeless! We are fighting a God here, Flaky, a GOD! We're just a small group of 22 actual people, 21 just realizing this world is not real, and 300 generics that are basically fodder! We can have the greatest plan in existence, but in the end, this entire fight can just end in all of our deaths. And it will be my fault that you were all caught in it in the first place!"

The Stranger stopped just a few feet away from Flaky, his eyes balling out tears as he tried to stay as calm as possible. Flaky stood in her spot without moving an inch, just observing the sadness emitting around the Stranger. She could almost shed a tear alongside him, as his pain was strong enough to affect even her. She never knew he felt this strongly about all of this, and was beginning to wonder the reasons why he did try to avoid her.

Her question would be answered as the Stranger tilted his head down and let out a heavy sigh, wiping away a few tears as he spoke softly. "That's… that's why I don't want you in this fight here, Flaky. You shouldn't have to be a part of this, never, not even in the beginning. You should be at home, resting in bed not worrying about war like this. Instead, I brought you with me to our own demise, so I'm doing my best now to protect you more than ever."

He turned around to face the bed and proceeded to sit on the edge, his head still looking down at his feet. "I love you, Flaky; you mean so much to me that I can't help but constantly protect every second. You have done so much for me that I can't bear to see you die in a fight that I caused that you didn't need to be involved with."

As the Stranger continued to speak, Flaky slowly walked over to his left side, looking at him and nothing else. She did not know how to accept his words; she was both shocked by how much he really did care for her, and in love of the idea she meant to him. She switched back and forth between a small grin and a frown, still saddened by the sight of his depression once more.

She sat down by his left side, the vibration of the mattress getting his attention. He looked up to see a half-smiling Flaky, which made him smile for a brief moment before dropping to a frown once more. The Stranger took another deep breath and continued to speak.

"Flaky… I'm sorry for now and those times beforehand that I was being overprotective of you; I know you can take care of yourself and that you want to fight, it's just… it's just that all of this right now, how far we have gotten to becoming free, I have you to thank for it."

Flaky tilted her head to the left slightly with a smile and a tear running down her face as the Stranger slowly brought himself closer to her. "Flaky, if I did not save you from that tower, if you were not there, I would never have made it this far. You became the first person to believe in me, to give me a place to stay, to trust my word, to help me out despite being some stranger. You became an icon to me, Flaky, an icon that represented to me for something to fight for. Seeing you scared that day at the tower… it made me think of myself, how I was scared in this world, feeling alone and death was around every corner, but I couldn't stand to see that feeling lie on another person's face."

He slowly brought his hands to meet Flaky's own hands on her lap, and grasped them tightly. Flaky looked down to see his hands trembling nervously, and brought her hand to keep it held together, calming him down as he continued to speak.

"You became a reason for me to fight. I wanted to fight this battle on my own accord in the beginning, just to leave and go home forever. But when I saw you, when I saved you and saw your face slowly go from fear to happiness, it gave me hope that there was still a chance at something, that I can still do good, and perhaps even get home with all of us intact. You became symbol for freedom to me… which is why I always tried to lock you away to never be near me."

The Stranger moved in closer until his body was nearly melding against Flaky, who sat with a smile on her face as she watched him. "This was my fight, and if you got hurt in my fight, if you… died, I just could not live any longer. I needed you to stay alive so I had a symbol to fight for, a sign of inspiration. And if you died by my hands, I would never be able to continue the fight again. That right there… is the reason why I avoided you, Flaky… because I love you."

The two sat silently on the bed, looking into each other's eyes as the Stranger ended his speech. They did not know what to do next. The Stranger admitted his feelings to Flaky about everything, and Flaky is now aware of all of it. It was just something big to them that came out all of a sudden, and they both sat wondering what to do next.

The Stranger held onto Flaky's soft hands tightly, the warm feeling of her body and the sight of her smile were making him feel calmer and safer, having her by his side in peace something he always enjoyed having. He only wished that the circumstances where not as bad, but being with her now and telling her the truth made him somewhat better, and slowly dawned a smile of his own.

He then began to do something he wanted to do for a long time, and felt like right now was his time to do it. Flaky sat still nervously as the Stranger came as close to her as possible and slowly lean himself towards her face, bringing his hands up to meet her soft cheeks. Flaky began to blush visibly and slowly brought herself to come closer to him.

After a short distance away from each other, they both brought their eyes to a close, tilted their heads slightly to the right, and leaned in to lock their lips together passionately. The Stranger held her face softly as he let his lips lay against hers, enjoying every split-second he had being with her.

Flaky kept her body relaxed while her mind ran through a variety of feelings as they shared their first kiss together, something she was waiting for a long time. She could stay with him this way for an uncountable amount of time if she could, so she made sure to make it last.

They broke their kiss shortly after as the Stranger brought himself away from her, a smile on his face wider than ever before. Flaky giggled lightly as she watched the Stranger keep his smile, a sight she enjoyed seeing from him.

The Stranger then nodded his head slowly and spoke clearly. "Flaky… I rather not have you be involved in this fight… but I know it is wrong for me to make decisions for you. You are a free person, as you should be both here and in the real world, and have the right to be who you want to be and what you want to do. So… if you want to be a part of this fight… than it will be a pleasure to have you by my side in the fight."

Flaky could not be any happier to finally hear the Stranger let her choose what to do… even if the choice meant life or death. Unsurprisingly to the Stranger, Flaky smiled with pride and nodded her head instantly, and knew exactly what her answer was. He truly did not want her to see her fight, but she had the right to choose, and accepted it without question.

Knowing she made her answer and the two had now made up, the Stranger brought his hands away from Flaky and pointed to the door. "Well… if you're going to fight, you best be off to train with the others. You go and help Flippy and everything. I'll stay here and think about the upcoming battle."

Flaky gave the Stranger a surprise hug, shocking him with the sudden move, but came back with a hug of his own. With a quick hug settled out of the way, Flaky, got off the bed with a smile towards the Stranger, did her military salute, and turned around to open the door behind her.

The Stranger was initially happy for her and her kindness, and was starting to accept her decision. But as he watched her walk away from him, his body began to shake, and he began to breathe nervously as his mind went on a frenzy on terrible thoughts again. It all came down to one feeling that he dreaded having, one feeling he did not have in such a long time but did not want to have at this time of crisis.

He felt alone. She was just a few steps away from him, and yet he was already starting to feel alone, a feeling that nearly killed him. He entered the world alone, he fought alone, he survived alone; practically his entire life was living alone… unless he was with her. When he was with Flaky, he did not get the terrible feeling of loneliness, and felt like he could live another day as he had someone to be with; he had a purpose.

But with this upcoming battle coming into play, this could be the last time they ever see each other. Death was a certainty, and, if they did die, than everything they shared would be lost. He could not live with that thought, not now, not when it meant the most to him. He didn't want to feel alone yet, he could not take the pressure of it.

His mind would snap back into reality as the sound of a doorknob moving was heard. He looked up to see Flaky already opening the door half-way. Once she was out of the room, she would not be coming back. It was now or never, and the Stranger had to take it.

The Stranger jumped to his feet quickly and stretched out his right arm, his right palm facing forward as he yelled. "Flaky, wait!"

Flaky halted her movement on the doorknob and looked up to see a nervous and shaking Stranger with his arm stretched out to her. She cocked her head to the left slightly and watched the Stranger slowly walk up to her, his hands meeting together at stomach level as he twiddled with his fingers.

He took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "Flaky… tomorrow, I… all of us, are going to head in a war that may very well be the end of us. We can be alive one second and be dead the next the moment we hit Happy Tree Town. And… and if we die out there, Flaky, everything we shared, every moment together we had that is worth remembering… will be gone."

As the Stranger moved closer to Flaky, she began to loosen her grip on the doorknob and watched his movements in confusion, listening carefully to his words. She then smiled with a tear building up as he slowly began to raise his right hand outward.

"Flaky… I don't want to forget those moments just yet. They mean a lot to me as they are what kept me alive here. I want to continue and cherish these memories in peace, but when we go out in the battlefield, there will be no time to think about them."

The Stranger stopped just a step away in front of Flaky, who was still looking at his open right hand, his palm facing upwards for her to see. She shook nervously but with a smile on her face, and looked up to see the Stranger one more time.

"But there is time right now to share them. We still got time to share and remember one more moment together before we head at. Please, Flaky, don't leave me alone just yet. Stay with me, just a little while longer, just enough to enjoy one last time together. Please, Flaky…"

Flaky stood still watching the emotions shown on the Stranger's eyes, and noticed something that was not common with him, something that was a sight that she never seen existed on him before.

He was scared. He was indeed scared of this upcoming battle and the possibility of death. The man she sees that goes out daily to risk his life without fear and only wanting to help others, was now scared to go out, that he could face death in under 24 hours.

But she knew he was right. They could die, and when they do, everything they shared together would be lost in the abyss, never to be remembered again. And these memories were just as important to her as it was to him; she did not want to lose them now when there was indeed time to share them one more time.

She smiled and shed a sole tear as she brought her left hand away from the door and laid it gently on the Stranger's right hand, letting it be grasped by his strong fingers. She placed her right hand on top of his and gently brushed the top of his grey fur while holding it firmly.

Flaky finally took a deep breath and, with a smile on her face, said calmly, "Okay."

The Stranger shed a tear of his own as Flaky agreed to stay with him one more time. The feeling of loneliness was instantly washed away, and a smile formed on his face instantly. He could not describe the amount of happiness was in his heart, and instead just accepted it as is.

He brought his left hand to be placed on top of their collection of hands, and quickly leaned down to share a second kiss with Flaky. They both closed their eyes and tilted their heads to the right as they placed their lips together once more, this time tighter than before, and staying together longer.

Seeing how they were staying in such a close and intimate position, Flaky wrapped her right arm around the Stranger's torso while she brought her left arm to close the door behind her. Shutting the door completely shut, the sound of a door being locked was heard, and they stayed within Flippy's master bedroom for the remainder of the night.

* * *

The Stranger was attaching the last button to his tattered leather coat, putting on the final touches to his clothes he will be bringing with him into battle. He stood in front of the mirror inside Flippy's bedroom, looking at himself as he tightened up every button and brushed down his damaged fur over the months of fighting. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his scars that he obtained over time, still thinking them as trophies instead of injuries.

The Stranger halted his enjoyment of him as he heard the sound of the door opening, shocking him slightly as he turned around to see an eager and battle-ready Flippy. The Stranger smiled at the sight of his friend, so ready to enter the fight with him despite the odds against them. No matter what, though, he saw Flippy as a valuable ally and a friend, and was an honor to have him by his side in the upcoming battle.

He clapped his hands together and spoke with determination. "So… we all set to go?" Flippy shrugged his shoulders, not exactly feeling the most confident of situations, but could not say anything negative. He did what he could do, and everyone else did their best to cling onto hope, so there was no need to complain. "Good… good…"

The Stranger tilted his head at the sight of a large blue case that was being carried by Flippy's right hand. Curiosity filling his mind, he pointed at the blue case and asked politely. "Is it okay that I ask what's inside the blue case you have yet to show me?"

Smiling widely, Flippy took the blue case and dropped it on his bed, making a loud thud as it hit the mattress. Getting more eager to see inside by the second, the Stranger stood directly next to Flippy as the green bear slowly opened the case to reveal an object the Stranger did not believe existed in this virtual world.

It was a handgun, specifically a M1911 .45 ACP with six 7-round magazines underneath it, plus an additional 7-round magazine already chambered in the pistol.

The Stranger's jaw dropped as he stared at the handgun. "A… a… a gun?! There are guns in this world?!" Flippy dropped his smile and nodded his head slowly, a little confused by the Stranger's reaction.

The Stranger reached slowly for the handgun and held it tightly in his hands. He examined every inch of it, looking down the sights and testing out the ejection system for the magazine. "But… but I don't understand. If you have guns in this world after all, than why don't you guys ever-"

With his clumsiness, the Stranger accidentally pulled the trigger on the pistol, firing off a round in the chamber. He and Flippy both dropped to the floor in fear as the bullet ejected out of the gun and began ricocheting across the entire bedroom, breaking everything and almost hitting them dead.

After a few seconds of waiting for the bullet to stop, it shot out Flippy's window and was stopped by the skull of a generic Tree Friend outside. Breathing heavily due to almost getting himself killed, the Stranger walked towards the destroyed window and looked outside to see the dead body of an innocent generic… which unsurprisingly did not do much in terms of effecting the Stranger.

He let out a heavy breath and observed the gun a second time, Flippy staying a short distance away from him. "Okay, I see why you guys never use guns. WAY too easy to kill a Tree Friend with…" The Stranger smiled widely as he chambered in the next round in the pistol, and opened his coat to place it inside his inner pockets. "Then again, I'm not killing a Tree Friend now, am I?" He chuckled as Flippy nodded his head.

The Stranger went over and picked up the remaining magazine clips and placed them carefully in the easily accessible parts of his body. After placing them securely, he looked over at Flippy and gave a small grin. "Thanks, Flippy, it's going to be useful in finishing this off. Now come on, let's rally everyone up." Flippy nodded his head and followed in pursuit of the Stranger.

Not taking any stops, the Stranger made it to Flippy's front door and opened it instantly, sending down a burst of light from the evening sun. The Stranger lifted his arm up to protect his vision and walked out slowly to the outside field near Flippy's house. He only took a few steps away from the barrack-shaped home when he started hearing chants and cheers of the Tree Friends who have caught sight of him and Flippy, all of them happy to see their commanders ready for battle.

After getting his vision adjusted to the sunlight, the Stranger was clearly able to see all the Tree Friends, both generic and unique, outside and ready for battle. As he smiled and walked towards his small militia, he took note of his own personal army and see what has been achieved in the 24 hours he gave Flippy.

They weren't true soldiers, but they had all the basics placed into their A.I. minds. Formation of a battalion was correct, so was their posture, their eagerness to fight, and some basic defense knowledge with some spare time for assault. His generics weren't going to truly win, but they were enough to work as a bulk force to help the Stranger and the unique ones make it through the fight; it was a successful training session, all thanks to Flippy.

He then took the time to observe the unique Tree Friends, who were standing in a separate group, focusing on their work while the generics chanted for a fight. Flaky was with the group, handing out some equipment in storage to the officers, including radios, grenades, some spare medical equipment, and other necessary items that were trusted with those of a developing brain than those running on a computer.

The Stranger made it up to Flaky and the unique group, and stood tall and with pride as he observed his comrades. When they noticed his silent appearance, they all got up and stood at attention, eager and determine smiles on their faces as they stood with him. He nodded his head towards them and faced Flaky, who was blushing slightly as she was holding the bag of spare equipment.

He stood still silently with a smile as Flaky was stuck with a reddening face, before realizing she was supposed to hand over his equipment. The Stranger chuckled lightly as Flaky struggled to find his bag, quickly pulling it out and handing it to him, which he rewarded her with a peck on the cheek, making her face stay in its reddening state.

Quickly observing the contents of his personal bag, he counted: 1 walkie-talkie, set to Channel 3; one med-kit filled with basic remedies and gear; 3 grenades; a vest that had straps and pockets for all of his equipment; and a spare BDU shirt. Enjoying the site of his new military gear, the Stranger decided it was time to remove his coat and dawn some new clothes.

Instantly placing the shirt and vest on without a problem, the Stranger removed the contents of his coat and placed the magazines on the belt area, walkie-talkie on the chest pocket, grenades along the lower side of the vest, and the med-kit on his a strap to his side. His pistol was kept on his back-blue jean pocket and his knife still resting in the right pants-pocket. His brown boots were tight and snug, his black wool cap placed tightly on his head, and everything else was placed correctly.

Now seeing he was all set, he looked up to see his friends once more, all of them dressed and ready for battle… except for the idea that none of the generics had a weapon of their own, nor did the archery platoon have much in terms of available ammunition.

The Stranger turned around and face Flippy curiously. "Hey, Flippy, you sure you don't have any spare knives in your house, or perhaps some arrows, darts or something for the archers?" Flippy shook his head in disbelief, a little sadden at the idea not all of the troops were able to have a weapon, which was practically vital if they wanted to even break the first rank of Happy Tree Town.

He brought his hand to his chin and rubbed it gently, pondering a solution for the problem. "There has to be something we can give them. Some easily accessible right now, something that is pointy and has the capability of piercing skin and bone, and perhaps something straight enough that can be shot out from the archer's slingshots. But where am I going to find such a… sharp… object?"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he faced Flaky, who was just looking around her area… with her quills showing perfectly clear for the Stranger to see. Flaky began to have a weird feeling, and turned around to face the Stranger, who was looking at her with a big grin that was actually creeping her out this time instead of making her feel happy.

She backed away slowly as the Stranger took a step forward. "Hey, Flaky? Your quills grow back when they are cut, right?"

* * *

_10 minutes later_

With one more final slice of his knife, Flippy was able to scalp off all of Flaky's quills, leaving her with only a fuzzy patch of tiny quills on top of her head. As she huddled up sadly, Flippy and the Stranger collected up the huge sum of razor sharp quills and handed one to each generic Tree Friend, with the remaining being handed to the generics and Cuddles who handled the archery platoon.

With the final set of tiny weapons handed out, every person now had something to work with, even if it was just a tiny pointy object that could still murder everyone. At the sight of his fully equipped army, the Stranger let out a small chuckle. "Who knew you were a walking weapons dispenser, huh Flaky?"

Flaky punched the Stranger on his right arm and looked away from him in shyness. The Stranger got closer to her while still retaining a smile. "Look, imagine this. When we kill that bastard and leave, I bet the real Flaky has long flowing red hair that is the most beautiful sight to see. Just work with this now, Flaky, and soon, we will get to see the real you and all the long and beautiful hair you have on the outside." Flaky sat silently for a brief moment before letting out a sign and turned to give the Stranger a smile.

As she got up to her own feet, the Stranger turned around to face his army once more, everyone now in their ranks and positions, including the unique Tree Friends. He could not believe such a sight was possible, and seeing how everyone at this moment, despite all the trouble, still had hope for freedom, it gave the Stranger hope that victory can still be achieved, and was willing to take the risk to end the fight once and for all.

The Stranger stood tall, Flippy coming up to him and standing by his left side, and Flaky moving up to stand by his right side. He looked at his two friends standing by his side, who gave him determined smiles, ready to follow his lead. He looked forward again to see the unique Tree Friends surprisingly the most eager to fight, with Splendid high in the air, Pop and Russell instructing their units, and Cub, even with his child-like mind, was happily waving a small flag with the drawing of Happy Tree Town crossed out and the word '_Freedom_' written over it.

He took a deep breath and raised his arms in the air, signaling everyone's attention. Everyone got into their formation and stood dead silent, listening carefully at their commander's next response.

The Stranger cleared his throat and spoke loudly. "Look, I'm not the best guy at speeches here, so I will just go with what my heart and mind tells me here."

"I know that many of you must be scared. No matter how hard you try to hide it, I know many of you are scared that death may happen. There's no need to be ashamed of feeling that, for I also have that same doubt."

"But you can't let that cloud your mind when we go out there and fight for the most important element to us: freedom. We have been forced to live false lives in a world we do not belong to, to live by a schedule and rules that are despicable and against human nature, and to serve an evil God who is nothing more than a pathetic person who thinks he can just control us at whim."

"Well today that ends. Today we show him and his fake army that we will not stand by his sadistic rule any more. We are people who have the right to make our own choices, to live the way we want, to be whom we want, and to never be forced into being a person who we aren't and to live in a world filled with death. We have the right to experience life without fear of death, to wake up happily and enjoy another day alive being who we are. And it's time we show that son of a bitch that he gives us our lives back."

"We march to battle as simple slaves to a mad man. And, with hope and strong will on our sides, we will exit out free! Everyone, we march,"

The Stranger pulled out his knife quickly from his pocket, and pointed it towards the glimpse of the tower behind him.

"TO WAR!"

Everyone in the battalion cheered loudly with their weapons raised, clapping their hands while jumping victoriously as they rouse themselves up for the fight. The Stranger faced the direction of the tower, his back turned on the army, and slung his knife forward.

"BATALLION! FORWARD, MARCH!"

With Flippy on his right, Flaky on his left, Splendid hovering in the air, and the unique Tree Friends holding the first rank, with Cuddles' archery platoon marching on the side, the Stranger was marching the Tree Friends to either their freedom… or to their deaths. Up ahead laid a battleground and a general that had to be taken, and the Stranger has only one shot to make this count.

The Stranger took a moment in thought as he marched forward and leading the battalion. Knowing that a large battle was up ahead, morale was necessary to keep their hopes up. Thus, he faced Flippy and spoke quickly. "Hey, Flippy, mind doing some cadence for the troops, some marching music to keep them in step while keeping morale up?"

Flippy brought his right hand up to his chin and snapped his fingers instantly at what song for them to march to. Clearing his throat, he sung out loudly in their native tongue, using their high-pitch voices and whistles to play his tune.

"Laa la la la la…. La la la la la, la la la la la… do do do do do do, do do do, do do do!"

The entirety of the Tree Friends marching were singing loudly, including Flaky, with the Stranger just walking forward with a smile on his face as he marched to their town's anthem. "Meh, it's a catchy tune."

He chuckled lightly as they continued to repeat the same verse, then dropped to a serious expression as he stared deeply at the tall tower in front of him. His body tensed up at the thought of the man who hid inside there the entire time, and dreamt the many ways he planned to kill him.

The Stranger spoke clearly in his head, making sure the mad man could hear him.

"I'm coming for you, you son of a bitch!"

_Good, I'll be waiting…_


	16. Ch 15: Take It Back, Part I

**Chapter 15.1**

**Take It Back, Part I**

* * *

Anger, Fear, Determination, Horror, Doubt, Anxiety, Power, Hope, Despair…

Revenge…

Every step he took forward, every inch that was made closer to his target, the Stranger's emotional state of mind randomly changed through cycles. Every step forward to the tower in the distance only made his mind turn into a working clock, each tick shrouding his thoughts with a different thought.

The Stranger took a deep breath with every marching step, ignoring the sounds of war that surrounded him. Despite his eyes left open, his mind was hidden in darkness. There was no way to describe what he was thinking, with so many thoughts flowing through him that he could not track.

But he could very well describe what he felt. Looking only forward with no intention to step back, he could see the ominous glow of the tower in the center of Happy Tree Town, his main target to attack. For what lied inside was not only his opportunity to escape the world,

But also the one thing he despised the most, the one thing he only wanted to see die in a puddle of blood by his hands:

The Mad Man.

For nine months he fought through a nightmarish world filled with nothing but horror and death, witnessing tragic events that would consume the average mortal and send them into insanity. For nine months he was forced to live a life and play a game he never wanted to take part of.

And worse, the people around him, the ones who originally saw him only as a lunatic but now see him as their savior, suffered more tragically and even beyond his time here. With over a decade of torture and pain, the Tree Friends he knew now have suffered enough, and deserve to be relieved of this madness.

This was his, the Stranger's goal, his main feeling with every step:

End the madness, once and for all.

And even though his mind continued to doubt him, constantly taunting him that death was completely certain, an idea that even some of the Tree Friends accepted as fact, the Stranger reminded himself that this was no longer just his fight.

But everyone's.

Returning to reality, away from his concerning thoughts, he turned his ahead behind him while still progressing forward, and observed the majestic sight that he never thought would be achieved.

With the aid of Flaky and Flippy by his side, behind them lied an army of over 300 Tree Friends, marching forward and singing their town's anthem as a battle tune. The unique set of Tree Friends were leading the charge with only faces of determination and the will to fight being their expression. Pop, Russell, Cuddles, Toothy, Sniffles, Lumpy, and everyone else marched together, not taking one step back. Despite the fear that lied in their hearts, the idea of turning back was never brought up; they will no longer accept the slavery of false lives, all thanks to the convincing words of three Tree Friends.

The Stranger smiled in his mind as he watched his friends march forward, following his steps. The adults took the lead so their generic units would follow their orders, and Cub, while too young to make out anything of his surroundings, waved the crudely made rebel flag like it was the greatest toy in the world; to him and everyone else, though, it was a symbol of hope, and the heart of the child who carried it lifted their spirits.

Looking slowly upward, the Stranger could see Splendid flying overhead, giving a bird's eye view of the area. Pushing his past records aside, seeing Splendid being a useful asset was calming to his mind; perhaps this battle could be his chance to show he is hero material now.

Whatever the case, the Stranger dropped his emotions when he noticed Splendid quickly bringing his right palm down for him to see, and showing three fingers, flexing them up and down to signal they were three minutes away from the battlefield. Nodding to acknowledge his statement, the Stranger pointed behind him and watched Splendid lower his altitude and go the opposite direction of the city, leaving the Stranger and his army alone.

Watching his only aerial support leaving for a short time began to worry the Stranger once again, and his breathing began to pick up in pace. He turned around with his eyes opened widely to notice they were inbound to the south-eastern hill that they initially left the day before. Once on top of that hill, he will have his own clear view of the city they left behind… or what was left of it.

The idea of what could be beyond that hill continued to make the Stranger go frantic with his emotions. All he wanted to do now is finish this fight and go home, ending the suffering forever. But what he ran from and what he saw was horrific, and now he was coming back to face it again, this time bringing innocent others in the fray.

Those creatures, those Shadows, along with the fierily rain of destruction, all summoned by a mad god, were not part of nature; they defied life itself, including the ideology of the morals between right and wrong. Murder was their only belief they would follow, with no innocent bystander be left untouched. They were going to kill them, and that was a fact.

The Stranger shook his head and removed the thought of the terrible creatures from his memory. Even if they were killers, they were nothing more than mere pawns, tools used by an old man; they were just like machines with no choice to make on their own, a skill that the Stranger and Tree Friends had on their side, and he was going to make use of that advantage.

Seeing how they were almost at the base of the hill, the Stranger wanted to do a few last moves before starting something that could very well be the end of them. Knowing what he was planning to do, the Stranger yelled loudly for his small army to hear.

"BATTALLION, HALT!"

With one final step forward, everyone came to a sudden halt, silencing their voices as they stood perfectly still. The Tree Friends, while doing their best to stay calm, looked at each other at each other from the corner of their eyes, confused on what was exactly going on.

Flippy and Flaky stood still while pondering the situation as well, keeping their eyes on the Stranger as he stood like a statue. He then took a deep breath, and marched forward up the hill on his own. Seeing him go forward alone was worrying some of the Tree Friends, wondering if they should progress forward with him. Flippy, though, made sure to calm down the battalion by giving them the 'halt' signal, but was also wondering as well why he moved ahead without them.

The Stranger had a proper reason for his move; he wanted to see the town and everything for himself before letting their eyes catch the glimpse of the disaster. Whatever sight was beyond this hill was going to traumatize them significantly, and he wanted his mind to take that trauma now and strengthen himself before pushing everyone else forward.

With only a few more steps until he reaches the top of the hill, the Stranger took one more deep breath, emptied his mind of any thoughts, and slowly peeked over the hill to see what awaited him on the other side.

He regretted his choice instantaneously.

If there was indeed a Happy Tree Town before the destruction, there certainly was no indication of civilization ever being here in the first place. Nearly all the buildings, excluding those that were missed or were sturdy enough to withstand the destruction, were nothing but piles of rubble, obliterated and unrepairable. The roads were destroyed and cracked, many buildings left in pieces, and destruction laid everywhere.

The world around the destruction was not a charming sight either. The sky was blood-shot red, the clouds having the appearance of dark ash and smoke. Dead bodies of generic Tree Friends blanketed the streets with their expelled organs, and plenty parts of the city were lit ablaze by small embers of flames.

When the Stranger left his eyes closed, the sounds of the town did not soothe the tragic sight. The sound of rolling thunder over the town gave an eerie feeling of despair and horror, and the subtle screams of dying Tree Friends haunted the Stranger, almost hearing the actual cries of those who failed to escape.

But what was worse than all of these signs of war were two key subjects that stood out amongst the world, both which taunted his very soul.

The first was the large tower in which the mad man currently hid. It stood tall, it's disguise of a tree deteriorating and revealing a rather more metallic looking structure, with a shiny steel look on the exterior. Upon inspection, the Stranger could see the light of the gate still open, vulnerable for entry. And yet it was this light that made the Stranger go into fear; what exactly was he going to find inside that light in the tower, and if it's dangerous, can he beat it.

And before he can even think of entering the tower, there was the matter of the one thing that stood between him and his goal to end all suffering.

And it was looking right back towards him.

The Shadows, the menacing outlines of Tree Friends who were shrouded in darkness, their eyes glowing with a red aura, and their hands all grasping a weapon, either a sword, axe, mace, or even a bow, were all lined up and facing in his direction. The Stranger breathed heavily and shook nervously as he could see the evil in each Shadow's eyes, all of them looking directly back him.

They stood in ranks on the street with their weapons by their sides, and archers were planted on high ground, either on top of piles of rubble or in the upper floors of buildings which still stood. They did not flinch at the sight of the Stranger, nor did anything else. All they did was prepare themselves for his next move, watching him without ever batting their eyes away.

The Stranger swallowed his throat as his eyes frantically shot around the scenery. "They… they knew we were coming up at this spot at this exact time… they prepared themselves already before we were even given the chance to attack… they-"

The Stranger went silent as he felt a hand touch his right shoulder, being placed gently on body. Shocked by the feeling, he looked over swiftly and noticed Flaky standing by his side once more, without a single hint of fear in her eyes. She stood perfectly still, staring into the Stranger's worried brown eyes with her soothing crimson red eyes. The Stranger only looked back with happiness and confusion in his mind.

Despite what stood in front of them, she trusted the Stranger enough to not feel fear, or at least let it consume her. She was prepared to fight alongside him, as well as the hundreds of others who stood still below him. Flaky smiled and nodded her hand as she left her hand on the Stranger's shoulder, which he returned the gesture with a smile of his own.

He dropped the smile when he felt a hard pat on the back from his left side, and looked over to see Flippy giving him a large determined grin, worry about death not even a thing that rested on his mind. He placed his hand on the Stranger's left shoulder, and nodded his head quickly, giving him a reassuring attitude to fight.

The Stranger smiled to see his two close friends stand by his side in his finest hours. He needed every inch of support, and theirs was the best he could ever ask for.

But another thought that was haunting him on his march here came back; even if they agreed to fight, he couldn't help but feel guilty for everything that has happened, that they are only here now because of his actions, that he was going to be the cause of multiple deaths of innocent lives. The thought made him bring a tear to his eye, which Flaky noticed instantly.

Not wanting to see him in such a state now, Flaky got next to the Stranger and wrapped her arms around him, planting a soft kiss on his right cheek. The soft and tender feeling of her lips touching him soothed away the anxiety and lighten his mood. He looked over at Flaky again, smiling at her talent of always cheering him up.

He shook and bowed his head, letting out a heavy sigh before speaking calmly. "I… I wish none of you were here right now… none of you should have to take part of this fight. You're all being dragged into something I wished that would never happen, and the consequences can be drastic. People will die today, and I can't help but take the blame for it all. You shouldn't have to fight here…"

For a moment, Flippy and Flaky believed the Stranger was going to surrender and quit the fight right before they were even about to attack. But they were caught off guard as the Stranger brought his arms to hug both Flippy and Flaky, bringing him to his sides tightly.

The Stranger smiled widely and looked back and forth between his two friends. "But… it's great to have you here by my side. This may be the most dangerous challenge we will ever encounter, but I am glad that we get to finish this together… thank you, both of you."

All three Tree Friends nodded their heads with a smile, and broke apart the short hug.

Taking a relaxation breath, the Stranger looked forward again to see the Shadows still standing their ground, watching back and waiting for him to throw the first punch. He placed his hands by his sides while Flippy just snorted and crossed his arms, Flaky standing calmly as she looked at the Shadows along with him.

They won't deny the fact that these Shadows were the most intimidating sight that they ever came across, but they did not let their threatening looks discourage their will to fight. The Stranger, looking back at the Shadows, nodded his head and dawned a small grin on his face.

"I guess they're just waiting for us to deal our cards first. Well," the Stranger reached over for his combat knife and unsheathed it from its holder, gripping it firmly in his hand. He looked down at the blade and noticed his reflection from the steel knife, his face still covered with a few scars. He then looked up to both Flippy and Flaky and raised his knife forward. "If they want a war, let's give them one!"

Flippy and Flaky made short grins and nodded determinedly, and followed the Stranger back down the hill to meet up with the waiting army. After a brisk walk, the Stranger stood in front of all the Tree Friends, Flippy and Flaky by his side, and spoke clearly for everyone to hear his commands.

"Alright, listen up, let's recap the situation!"

"We are entering the south-eastern side of Happy Tree Town, on the outskirts of the main city. Initial observation shows mostly open combat, so expect archers to be common. But as we get deeper into the city, fighting is going to be a lot more condensed, and with multiple buildings collapsed, navigation will be difficult. Keep your wits about and check your flanks constantly!"

"As planned, we will all march in on the initial attack, with Cuddles taking a small portion of each platoon to follow him and attack as archers, giving us covering fire on the way in. Once we get close enough, we split up into two platoons, with Bravo, the second platoon, staying on the outside until ordered to move in and raise reinforcement count."

"While fighting through the town, Splendid will give suppressive fire on enemy positions as we get closer to the tower. Be on your guard, as the deeper we get, destruction is sure to become more severe; danger close is going to be a constant warning, so keep your heads up at all times!"

"Once we get deep enough into the city, we'll all regroup in the southern entrance to the park that will lead us to the tower. The mad man is going to have both inside and out of that tower heavily fortified with Shadows, so once we reach that point, we cannot turn back. Don't bother attacking that group of Shadows; they'll only stall us with their numbers. We'll let Splendid cover our approach until I and anyone else enters the tower."

"Remember your basic training; the generic Tree Friends are our base form of attack; they'll provide the bulk of our force, so use them wisely. Those quills are also not meant to be used forever; they have weapons of their own, so if you need a new one, kill and pick up whatever you find. Use their strength against them, and use your own personal skills as advantages!"

The Stranger paused briefly before making a tight grasp on his knife. "Know one thing here, everyone: this is it. Today we finish this pain and suffering. We do not retreat or fall back. We will no longer cower and hide. We are strong enough to make our own choices and live our own lives. Today, we end this hellish land and its constant rain of death. Today,"

The Stranger slung his knife behind him, pointing it straight forward at the hillside behind him. And with one deep breath, he let out a heavy roar.

"We take back our freedom!"

All the Tree Friends behind him, including Flippy and Flaky standing by his sides, pulled out their weapons and raised them high, letting out a roar of battle cries while Cub frantically waved the flag in high spirit.

As they cheered for battle, the Stranger reached for his radio that was attached to his chest pocket on the thick vest he dawned earlier. He switched the radio dial to 'Channel 7' and spoke loudly.

"Splendid?! Splendid, do you read?"

There was a moment of brief static before the Stranger could hear the sound of making a 'hmm, hmm' sound, acknowledging his statement.

"Alright, listen Splendid, this is VERY IMPORTANT. When we march forth, you hold back on your position, out of sight from the shadows, until I give the signal. Got that; hold your position until I give the signal. And Splendid… we're counting on you."

The Stranger could hear Splendid humming his heroic tune and broke off from the station, going off to prepare for his moment of attack. The Stranger nodded his head quickly, and turned around once more to face the army. "Alright, all officers, turn your radios to 'Channel 7' and ready your teams; we're moving out!"

All the unique Tree Friends adjusted their gear to fit nice and tight on their bodies while making sure their radios were placed on the correct channel. Seeing that was done, Russell and Pop, each officers of their own platoon, gave instructions to their team, with Russell preparing his team to march forward first.

Once everyone got into position, all correctly ranked up as according to plan, the Stranger yelled out once more. "CUDDLES! Round up the archers!"

Cuddles gave a military salute to the Stranger and left his position, waving his arms in the air while screaming out loud in the Tree Friend language to gather up the archery team. In just a few short minutes, about 25 generics from each platoon, totaling up to 50, were bunched up into one large team of archers.

While bows where not their current weapon, they did use something more crude-like: slingshots. Cuddles already had his out and ready, with generic Tree Friends who happened to have one at the time automatically placed as archers. For ammunition, the archers carried small pouches with a large quantity of Flaky's leftover quills, used as tiny arrows. While not an actual arrow, if the Stranger knew something right about Flaky's quills, is that they were sharp enough to pierce anything, so it was the perfect weapon.

Once all the generic Tree Friends were placed in ranks behind Cuddles, the Stranger gave a quick nod and looked forward at the hillside once more.

This was it. Only one more order was needed to commence battle. With one last breath to calm his mind, the Stranger gave his last commands.

"PLATOON ALPHA AND ARCHERY PLATOON, FORWARD, MARCH!"

Upon the last word of the command being given, all of Platoon Alpha, which consisted of Lumpy, Lammy, Lifty, Shifty, Disco Bear, Petunia, and Giggles along with 125 generics, marched forward without hesitation. The Archery Platoon proceeded to march alongside Alpha's right flank, and the Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky led the entire marching army, leaving Platoon Bravo back at the starting point.

As they slowly crawled up the incline, each Tree Friend could feel their hearts beating faster, fear and anxiety of imminent combat starting to go to their heads. But each one made sure to tell themselves they were not alone in this fight, and that, with hope and determination, even if one dies, they still have a chance to ALL go home. It was going to be worth the sacrifice.

After only a few seconds of marching, the Stranger and part of his army began to appear from the horizon, slowly marching over the hillside. Looking forward, the Stranger could see every Shadow in front of him currently trying to prepare their flanks and defensive positions. He noticed how they all grouped up in a massive collaboration of soldiers in a single area, making it impossible for a full frontal assault.

It was exactly what he wanted.

Now noticing that the archers were beginning to ready their weapons, the Stranger proceeded with Step 2. "PLATOON ALPHA, HALT!" The command was given and Alpha came to a halt, letting the Archery Platoon proceed forward. The Stranger observed Cuddles and nodded his head to him, giving him the signal.

Taking a few more steps forward from the Stranger, Cuddles and his platoon of archers came to a sudden halt, stopping just in hittable range with their slingshots. Cuddles turned his head back and yelled out 'Ready' to his team, and watched every archer take a quill from their pouches and place it on the strap of their slingshots.

Once their weapon was loaded, the archery platoon disperse to be an open unit and all went down onto one knee, grasping their weapons tightly. Now in position, Cuddles yelled out 'Aim' to his platoon, with everyone now pulling back on the straps of their slingshots while holding the quill as still as they could, similar in the fashion Flippy used the carnival darts with Toothy's own slingshot.

They raised their weapons at an angle over their enemy, and they all took three short breaths to calm their nerves and improve their aim. Cuddles did the same on his part, pulling up his slingshot with a readied quill to be fired.

And on the last breath and prayer, he gave the order.

"FIRE!"

The archers went and let go of the straps of their slingshots, and watched in surprise how the quill acted as an arrow, its light weight soaring high in the air at fast speeds. The Shadows, dumbfounded by what was happening, followed the direction of the quills and looked directly up to the sky, leaving their blood-shot eyes open to the hail of pointy quills.

The Stranger cringed a little as dozens of Shadows were faced with multiple quills piercing their bodies, puncturing their internal organs while also piercing their eyes. Those who were hit frantically screamed in pain as blood spurted out of their eyes and bodies, either dying slowly from blood lost or instant death with a blow to a vital organ.

Those who miraculously survived the first attack realized that they waited long enough and was now their turn to proceed. Using their A.I. like minds as a way to carry out orders, the remaining Infantry Shadows marched forward toward Platoon Alpha, while the archers in the back began to ready their arrows.

Smiling at seeing how the start of the battle was going by his book, the Stranger went and carried out his plan. "PLATOON ALPHA, LOOSE FORMATION!"

The entirety of Platoon Alpha dispersed to become more open while still following in a specific formation. Seeing his Platoon ready, the Stranger looked between Flippy and Flaky, who had determined grins on their faces and their knives at the ready. Flippy looked hungry for war, ready to kill the enemy, while Flaky, despite looking quite nervous and scared of the scene, looked at the Stranger with hope. They were ready.

The Stranger pointed his knife forward again and yelled loudly. "PLATOON ALPHA, FORWARD MARCH!"

The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky marched forward, along with Platoon Alpha on their rear. As the Stranger looked forward and watched how the Shadows were copying their moves, marching forward to them in close ranks, he kept his eye on Cuddles, who continued to rain fire downrange at the Shadows hunkering down behind rubble and the archers in some of the outskirt buildings.

With each counting step, the Stranger observed their closing distance. He had once shot to make this plan go through, so he had to wait for the right moment no matter what happens.

Trouble would arise as the Stranger looked up and noticed that some of the archers began firing on their position, and he instantly faced behind him to order the platoon. "Incoming fire! Spread out and double time it!"

As the order was given, all the Tree Friends spread further as they picked up their marching pace. The arrows came flying down onto them, ready to kill whoever was in their line of fire. Flippy quickly dodged an arrow as Flaky held her head down while following close to the Stranger, while sadly two generics where killed instantly upon being hit.

The Stranger kept looking forward as the Shadows doubled their pace, despite still being hit by Cuddle's archers. Seeing how the Stranger and his platoon where slowly entering the AOE of Cuddles' archers, the Stranger quickly reached for his radio and gave an order. "Cuddles, seize fire and pull back! We're entering the battlefield"

Cuddles nodded his head and waved his hand back to order his archers to pull back, which they did so instantly. With the archers going back behind Platoon Alpha and waiting orders, the Stranger was faced with the remaining units the of first wave of Shadows, who were all determined to kill them.

With arrows still raining down on them, the Stranger placed his knife in his left hand and reached his back jean pocket for his pistol, already loaded and ready to fire. He gritted his teeth and took faster breaths along with the other Tree Friends as the gap between him and the Shadows were closing in. The loud taunts and their large medieval weapons raised were starting to send the Stranger into a state of panic.

But he kept his cool; he had to. There is no turning back, and he only had to take a few more step before his plan of attack can fully commence. He was ready to fight, and was not going to run away again.

The Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and Platoon Alpha began to pick up pace and yell loudly as they were coming in contact with the enemy. As they got ever so closer for combat, the Stranger reached for his radio and held his hand on the 'Speak' button without looking away from the charging Shadows.

"That's it everyone! Hold it together! Hold it… hold it…" With the Shadows now too close to the Stranger, the archers held of their fire, and began to fall back on their side. With no more incoming fire, it was time to commence with the full attack.

The Stranger smiled widely, and pressed the button on his radio.

"Splendid, it's time to roll out the carpet!"

With the command given to Splendid, the Stranger went to a sudden halt and yelled loudly to his team. "EVERYONE! DANGER CLOSE! HUNKER DOWN!"

Everyone, including the Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and Platoon Alpha went to a sudden halt, took at least three steps back, and dropped to their knees while covering their heads, acting as if bombs were beginning to fall from the sky.

Completely shocked by the move, the Shadows stood still in a daze while watching how their enemy suddenly just dropped to the floor, with no previous indication or reason for them to do so. They looked at each other and hoped to see if anyone had an idea what was going on.

One Shadow on the far right, initially just looking around, caught a glimpse of something in the sky. It was an animal of some kind, something blue… and something heading directly towards them. Seeing the object heading towards him, the lone Shadow yelled out to his team while pointing in the sky of the incoming creature.

All still confused, they all looked up at the sky and yelled in horror at the top of their lungs, for they knew exactly was inbound to their position.

Despite the effort to retreat, it was too late for the Shadows. Once he was in close range, Splendid flew slowly overhead of the Shadows, his eyes glowing bright red as he stared at the enemy. With a slow charge up placed before his flight, and a smile growing on his face, Splendid unleashed a fierily hell onto the enemy beneath him.

Lasers shot out from Splendid's glowing eyes, and the red burning beams struck the ground, setting anything ablaze that came in contact. As he covered the ground with his lasers, the Shadows caught themselves in the crossfire, and all of the charging Shadows were faced with a fierily death.

As the Stranger kept his head down as Splendid performed his attack run, he could hear the Shadows screaming in pain as they were lit on fire, running around in circles and collapsing from the intense burns. Their bodies hit the floor hard, and their weapons piled up upon death. Their corpses slowly turning to ash as the flames continued to char their remains. In just a matter of seconds, Splendid's first run was able to kill off dozens of Shadows without breaking a sweat.

Hearing now only the sound of roaring fire, the Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky got up and stood both in shock and horror at the deadly destruction that was caused. Every Shadow that stayed was killed, and some of the ground and buildings were also hit, sending massive damage to them as well.

The Stranger couldn't help but smile at how his first part of his plan went by so smoothly. Splendid did not kill any friendly members, and only a few generics faced their demise. The fight had begun, and it was already in his favor.

His short celebration would be cut short as an arrow landed directly in front of his foot. Jumping back in surprise, the Stranger looked through the burning smoke to notice dozens of additional Shadow Infantry and Archers moving onto their position. Seeing the army coming his way, the Stranger made a tight grasp on his knife and pistol and nodded his head.

He performed an about face to observe his platoon, now coming back up to their feet after hunkering down from Splendid's attack run. Showing only determination on his face, the Stranger activated his radio to pick up all audio to everyone and gave out his command.

"Alright, here we go people! Splendid, you stay overhead on my position and give us a clear path towards the tower. Take out any enemy fortifications you see and stay on my path whenever I give you a target. Watch your fire at all times!"

"Cuddles, take your platoon and split up in two groups, covering both sides of the town while staying behind us. Give us covering fire whenever you can and prepare for any attack on my command. Again, watch your fire!"

"Pop, you hold out on the outskirts of Happy Tree Town with Platoon Bravo and wait until I give the command for you to move in; we will only call you in when troops are needed, so avoid combat until your assistance is required."

The Stranger turned off his radio and faced Platoon Alpha, who all stood up prepared and looking forward. With his pistol pointed into the air, the Stranger gave a determined grin and spoke clearly. "Everyone else,"

He performed an about face one more time and pointed his gun downrange at the enemy, and with his mind now only on the concept of battle, said "KILL THEM ALL!"

As he raised his pistol in the air, every Tree Friend behind him rushed forward, screaming loudly as they charged forth into battle. The unique Tree Friends led the charge as some generic Tree Friends dropped their quills for the sharp axes and swords that were dropped on the ground from the dead Shadows, whose bodies everyone was stepping over.

The Stranger lowered his head while keeping his eyes forward, watching his army push forward into the fight. Splendid kept his position in the air, attack any hidden wave of Shadows with his laser vision and destroying hideouts for archers, and Cuddles split up into two groups with his archers to hit outer positions to provide cover.

As Platoon Alpha moved forward, the Stranger looked to his sides to see Flippy and Flaky ready to follow. They kept their knives ready, and looked at the Stranger for guidance.

He brought his gun down to examine it briefly, and then observed his knife carefully, seeing his tools for war and how he intends to use them. With a grin on his face and noticing his platoon was already up and facing the enemy, he looked back and forth between Flippy and Flaky and gave a quick nod.

"Flippy, Flaky, let's go!"

All three of them raised their weapons, and charged forth into battle.

* * *

"YAR, GO, GO, GO!"

Russell was standing on a pile of building rubble, yelling through is usual pirate accent to lead his platoon into war. Waving his hook to gesture his team to move up, Platoon Alpha was entering itself into a major battle zone on the outer borders of Happy Tree Town.

Closing the gap between them and the Shadow Infantry units, the officers of Platoon Alpha went in knives raised forward, screaming at the top of their lungs in a combined battle cry that could be heard across the city. With one heavy swing of their weapons, and, for what felt like a brief second, a pause in time, they collided in a massive pile up on the street.

While the generics began moving up, using the weapons they either picked up or still holding onto the temporary quills, the unique Tree Friends were all doing their best to push forward, each one not backing down, no matter what the cost.

Lumpy, who stood tall above any of the Shadows, despite his unintelligent demeanor, was smart enough to use his antlers as a way to charge through the crowd, acting almost like a ram that crushed anything in its charge. The clear pathway center mass of the Shadows gave multiple generics to enter through, hitting them inside out.

Lifty and Shifty, not highly known to be entirely cooperative, were bouncing around enemies and targeting the same Shadow, killing them in a two-to-one deathmatch. As Lifty snuck around a Shadow to jump from behind and distract, Shifty jumped forward and rammed his knife into their abdomens or throats, splashing out blood and organs was effectively killing them.

Disco Bear was dancing around the area like it was some form of party, dodging arrows that came across the battlefield and the swinging of swords without missing a beat. With his quick dance reflexes, sliced through the crowds without difficulty, still dancing without a problem.

Giggles and Petunia were attacking side by side, staying together at all times while taking out any Shadow that crossed their paths. Looking after each other's backs, they were never placed in a situation of being cornered or surprised; they fought perfectly. Even more surprising was Petunia was not fazed by whatever blood that was splattered onto her uniform; perhaps the Shadows were 'filth' that needed to be clean.

Lammy fought through a different tactic than the other Tree Friends… at least in her perspective. Using Mr. Pickles, she flung the pickle into the crowd, and watched her friend swiftly kill Shadows without ever being caught, stabbing them repeatedly on their legs or stomach before gouging out their eyes. While it was she that saw Mr. Pickles performed such violent kills, everyone else saw an insane Lammy able to kill without remorse. She was indeed something else.

Finally, after seeing that the generics were now working side-by-side with their officers, Russell came in by jumping off from the rubble landing in the middle of a crowd of Shadow Infantry. Despite their large axes and swords, with every intention to kill, Russell used his knife like a pirate's sword, and was quickly slicing open the stomachs of the Shadows, using his hook to stab and stabilize them. His younger years of an active pirate were coming into good use.

While Russell and his platoon fought on the streets, slowly pushing up with minimal casualties, Cuddles took his portion of the team and moved on the outside, staying in positions away from the battle to provide suppressing fire. Upon seeing a few Shadows hiding back before charging, Cuddles knelt down and ordered his archers to rain hell, shooting off their quills and killing them with ease, and did it without ever being seen.

As ground troops did the heavy work, Splendid watched overhead on the battlefield, looking out for any fortifications where archers may be camping and the best path to move. He constantly went into his radio to contact Russell and Cuddles of where the enemy was spotted, and performed attack runs on buildings to be cleared out with his laser vision and super strength, killing any Shadow that resided in there. His help was giving a clear path for everyone else.

And with everyone's combined effort in the fight, along with their talents and will, the initial strike into the town was beginning to look successful in the eyes of the Stranger, who was observing every inch of the battle being taken in front of him.

Running alongside Flippy and Flaky, the three were making a mad dash to make it up to Platoon Alpha and join the fight. Flippy gripped his knife tightly, ready to insert it into the enemy. Flaky's eyes were widen with fear but will to fight, and kept her knife at the ready. And the Stranger, holding his pistol in the right hand and his knife in a backhand method on his left, was staring straight at the large crowd in front of them, hearing only the cries of war amidst it.

With Shadow Archers still doing their best taking down incoming Tree Friends, Flippy, Flaky, and the Stranger jumped back and forth while heading towards the battle, dodging incoming arrows that nearly hit them on multiple occasions. As he dodged incoming fire, the Stranger looked up to see Splendid mowing down structures with his strength and laser vision, causing multiple explosions and sounds of death in the distance.

Now only a couple dozen feet away from the crowd, the Stranger went into a full sprint, flipping his knife to have the blade pointing forward and yelled to his friends.

"This is it, no turning back! No fallbacks, no retreats, not one step back! Push forward and we will win!"

Flippy and Flaky joined with the Stranger in his sprint and, upon catching a Shadow off-guard, the Stranger ran up a piece of building rubble, and, with one giant leap, fell down onto the Shadow and jammed his knife into its skull, killing it instantly. His first kill he performed on purpose, and he enjoyed it.

With his military-experience kicking, Flippy ran straight into the crowd of Shadows, swinging his knife back and forth like a sword, cutting open multiple Shadows without even taking a break. One after another, any Shadow that was near him was faced with either the end of his knife or his own hands, which worked well snapping the necks of his enemy. His kill streak was never as high as it was before.

As he fought in the crowd, quickly stabbing Shadows left and right while using his gun to pistol-whip his enemies and knock them out, the Stranger kept his eye on Flaky nearby… and was shocked by what he was seeing from her.

If these Shadows were something she absolutely feared, than she was more than capable of fighting this fear on her own. While she looked scared and didn't want to go through this, her past attitude of running made her agile, running and dodging any attack. She wasn't even afraid to use her knife to kill, and the remaining patch of quills that rested on top of her head came in handy to ram unarmored Shadows, puncturing their organs without the need of a blade.

Noticing around his position that the unique Tree Friends were doing quite well in the fight, the generics were starting to dwindle already, with a small casualty count starting to rise. Due to their weak performance and used mostly as a way to tire the enemy, they were no match to their weapons, either ending up sliced opened or shot to death with arrows. They had to keep pushing through.

Looking around his spot while fighting off a few Shadows, the Stranger looked down the street to see the café from his second day in the world, which could be used to cut through the town. He smiled at his plan while crushing the skull of a Shadow with his foot, and activated his radio to give out the commands.

"Cuddles, Splendid, seize fire and move northward on the side of the town; were going to cut center mass through the café and enter on the other side. Provide covering fire for Russell and his platoon while we move ahead! Pop, be at the ready with your team; we may have to call on you sooner than expected."

The last sentence was worrying to many Tree Friends who overheard the command, but accepted it and proceeded to carry on. Cuddles held off firing at his current position and took his portion of the platoon north to find a new position to provide additional covering fire. Splendid performed one last attack run, this time near the café, before moving back over the Stranger to create a clear path for him.

Seeing the orders being carried out, the Stranger killed one last Shadow before beckoning Flippy and Flaky over to him. "Flippy, Flaky, stack up at the café entrance!" Turning around to see two generics standing by with weapons at the read, the Stranger tapped the shoulders of the two to grab their attention. "You two, come with us!" The generics nodded and commenced with the order.

With the Stranger moving up, Russell waved his hook in the air to order his platoon to make an attempt to move up, killing off the remaining Shadow Infantry before charging forward down the street. To make up ground, Russell commanded half of the remaining platoon to split up down both ends of the intersection down the street, covering more ground and avoiding to be surrounded. The Tree Friends performed a battle cry and pushed forward.

Making sure his pistol was ready to be fired, the Stranger ran up to the café entrance and stacked up on right side of the door. Looking behind him to see nothing but massive destruction and dead bodies, he noticed Russell pushing his platoon upward, along with the many dozen Tree Friends charging forward. The generics lost about one-third of their unit already, and they still stood on the outskirts of town.

Flippy, Flaky, and the two generic Tree Friends met up with the Stranger and stacked up at the door, Flaky moving up beside the Stranger, and Flippy and the two generics stacking up on the left. The Stranger was hyperventilating from the constant action and looked to see himself and his friends all stained with dark-blood and breathing heavily, almost completely exhausted to the point of collapsing.

Swallowing his throat and taking one big breath, he nodded his head to his team and spoke with a determined voice. "Alright, you," the Stranger pointed to one of the generics, "on my command, you will kick down the door for us to enter. Once down, we move in, and we move fast. Got it?" Everyone gave a quick nod to the Stranger.

Backing his body up to the door, the Stranger counted down to carry out the breaching.

"Three, two, one, BREACH!"

The first generic Tree Friend came around Flippy and busted down the café door with his foot, breaking it instantly. Flippy and the Stranger followed behind the generic Tree Friend while Flaky and the other generic followed suit.

Initially, the café appeared desolate, with no visible sign of life shown inside. The Stranger kept his pistol raised, preparing himself for any surprise attack.

Such an attack would occur as a couple of Shadows jumped up behind the counter at the end of the café with multiple small knives in their hands. One of them grabbed the blade-end of the knife, and brought his arm to his back, readying itself to throw.

Seeing the act happening in just a split-second of time, the Stranger's eyes widen and crouched down onto the ground. "EVERYONE, get down!"

Flippy, Flaky, and the second generic successfully ducked down, but the first generic was faced with death as the knife thrown from one of the Shadows landed dead-center on his forehead, piercing his skull and brain and killing him instantly.

The Shadows laughed at their easy kill, and picked up multiple other knives to be used as deadly throwing weapons. Seeing them prepare themselves, the Stranger stayed low onto the ground and got behind on of the tables, knocking it over and hiding behind the minimal cover he made for himself.

"Get behind cover, now!"

All four Tree Friends got themselves to hide behind a small table, forced in their position as the Shadows threw knife after knife, landing right on the table and piercing straight threw, only to get stuck due to the thick handles.

Seeing how they were pinned down inside the building, the Stranger came up with a quick plan. He turned around and faced Flippy, who kept poking his head out and in to observe the enemy. The Stranger snapped his fingers to get his attention and spoke fast.

"Flippy, I'll provide covering fire while you move up and kill the bastards! Ready?!"

Flippy nodded his head, and, upon seeing a short window of time given to him, the Stranger popped out of his cover and aimed his pistol at the counter. The faces of the Shadows dropped to shock, and both fell behind the counter as the Stranger fired off three rounds of his pistol, each shot missed.

Seeing they were now dropped, Flippy crawled on the ground in a prone position and slithered across the tile floor, looking over constantly as the Stranger fired off two more rounds to keep the Shadow Infantry down.

Once he was on the side of the counter, he gave a thumbs up to the Stranger to signal he was ready, and the Stranger fired off the remaining shots in his pistol before dropping behind cover. Thinking they were now clear, the two Shadows popped up once more to throw knives down at the Tree Friends.

Now with them believing they were safe, Flippy gripped tightly on his knife and vaulted over the side of the counter. The Shadows turned around surprised from his appearance, and did their best to ready for his attack. But they failed miserably, and Flippy shoved his knife into the throat of the first Shadow before grabbing its knife, and throwing it at the other Shadow nearby, hitting him in the chest.

Flippy pulled his knife out of the Shadow's throat and watched its blood shoot out in a large spurt, and dropped its body to the ground. He slowly walked up to the other wounded Shadow and pulled the knife stuck in its chest out of him before shoving it downward on the top of his head.

Now with both Shadows dead, Flippy yelled 'Clear,' and all the Tree Friends inside got up from cover and moved through the café to meet up in the kitchen. Moving fast to make up time, the Stranger, Flippy, Flaky, and the surviving generic jogged into the kitchen to stack up at the emergency exit in the back.

Not wanting to waste any more time in the café, the Stranger reloaded his pistol with a fresh magazine and opened the door, entering an alleyway with both left and right directions open.

Thinking it was safe, the Stranger took one step out of the door before he was grabbed by a thin Shadow. Instantly shocked by the sudden encounter, the Stranger brought his pistol over to shoot the Shadow, but was kicked out of his hand. The Shadow twisted the Stranger's hand and took away his knife before throwing him onto the ground hard.

The Shadow pounced onto his now fallen enemy, and slung the knife downward at the Stranger's chest. The Stranger caught the knife just before it struck him, but was now in an intense struggle, just like the time with Flippy at the carnival, and it looked like the Shadow was going to win.

Cringing and closing his eyes to prepare for the pain, the Stranger suddenly felt a large removal of weight from his body. Opening his eyes instantly, he noticed Flaky kicking the Shadow off his body and dropped herself onto it, bringing her knife down to meet its open neck.

It wasn't long before Flaky was repeatedly stabbing the body of the Shadow before ending it with a slice to its head, killing it in the fashion comparable to Flippy. Flaky breathed heavily and shook violently for a brief moment as she looked at her kill. This creature was going to harm her closes friend; she could not let that happen, and had to take drastic measures that she despised doing.

After calming down, Flaky faced the Stranger and got up to her feet, walking over to bring her hand out and pick up the Stranger. Still in shock at what she just did, the Stranger left his jaw being dropped and brought his right hand out, and was pulled up to his feet. Once he had his bearings, Flaky handed the Stranger his gun and knife once more, and gave him a quick nod before moving down the left side of the alleyway.

The Stranger blinked a few times as Flippy and the other generic, also shocked from the scene, came up to him and patted him on the shoulder before moving down the alley. The Stranger chuckled and followed Flippy while making a small grin.

"I love that woman…"

* * *

Marching on the outer borders of Happy Tree Town alongside over a hundred other Tree Friends, Pop was leading his platoon around the outskirts of town, following the path of the Stranger while staying away from combat until he was ordered to move in to keep the unit count up.

As he slowly moved outside of town, doing his best to make sure his platoon stayed in order, he held the small hand of his son, Cub, who was still holding onto the rebel flag. But instead of waving it happily, he only grasped the handle and nothing else. His happy expression and attitude was replaced with confusion, shock, and a little fear of the world.

Pop could feel his son's pain, for he had the same exact thoughts. Looking over at Happy Tree Town while marching, he could only look and observe the war that took not even a mile away from his position. Destruction of buildings and large flashes of explosions could be seen as Splendid flew over the town bombarding the area, and the large cries of combat and death could be heard, reducing the moral to those who could hear it.

Pop breathed heavily with his eyes widen at the sight of war in front of him, and looked down at his son, who seemed too young to understand the situation everyone was in. He gripped his son's hand tightly, and took a deep breath, calming himself to make sure he was prepared to fight. Even with this horrific fight that he was bound to enter, he had to do it, at least for his son. He has to stay strong for Cub, and make sure they can get to their real homes safely.

Marching for a few more minutes as he kept his eyes and ears open on the city in front of him, Pop began to notice a shift in the clouds above. He and the entirety of Platoon Bravo came to a halt, and stood patiently while looking up at the darkening sky. Questions were raised as Pop noticed the clouds turning into charcoal black, and were starting to spin in a clockwise rotation.

He then remembered the initial surprise attack from the mad man yesterday, how the clouds changed form randomly, and began to summon a fiery rain of hell. It was the exact same situation right now, and Pop knew what was bound to come.

Frantically looking around and wondering what to do, Pop dropped his knife and reached for his radio on his shirt pocket and, though shaking violently, did his best to communicate with the other officers who were still in the field.

* * *

Cuddles and his archery platoon finally came back into a full unit after taking opposite routes through the town after clearing the way for the Stranger to hit the café. Now being in a large group once more, Cuddles and his archers began taking positions away from the main platoon and giving covering fire on the Shadows across the town, either on the ground or camping in buildings. They were very effective at their job, yet to kill one of their own while killing hundreds of Shadows.

But Cuddles was starting to find it harder to set up positions away from the platoon as they noticed they were hitting the denser section of town. With more buildings and less open area, archery was beginning to lose its effectiveness, and without their covering fire, it will have to be relied on Splendid to take out targets ahead, and hope for the best.

Shaking the thought off, Cuddles and his platoon moved up the street to meet up behind Platoon Alpha, and carry out further instructions.

While Cuddles began to bring his platoon up, Russell and Platoon Alpha were beginning to meet up on the other side of the café after splitting up at the intersection. Their situation was not exactly the brightest. While the Stranger and his small team decided to cut through the café and alleyways, Russell was met with extreme opposition from a variety of Shadow Infantry, almost being surrounded if they hadn't split up.

Russell ran forward down the street with his remaining platoon behind him, breathing heavily as his body and hook where drenched in blood. This fight was still in the beginning stages and he was surely about to collapse any second, along with all the other bloodstained Tree Friends. He waited briefly for his team to catch up, now at one-half original size due to casualties, and looked further down the street to see they were starting to hit the busier sections of the town…

Along with a large influx of incoming Shadow Infantry moving onto their position, and fast. Noticing Cuddles in the distance while preparing his archers to suppress the incoming Shadows, Russell raised his knife in the air and pointed an imaginary line in front of him, asking to form a large straight column down the street. The unique Tree Friends commanded the generics to lead the front while they stayed behind to give clear instructions.

After running through the alleyways, Flippy, Flaky, the Stranger and the generic Tree Friend came out through the other side, and where now in the same local area as Platoon Alpha. The Stranger looked around his position to see buildings starting to become more common, and the tower in the distance was getting ever so closer. The Stranger, though breathing heavily on the outside, was getting more eager to enter the building and kill the mad man, excited to see his assault going well.

His excitement disappeared as Flippy pulled on his right shoulder, snapping the Stranger out of his thoughts. He looked over and noticed Flippy pointing down the street, where Russell was slowly moving upwards with his platoon in a large line, and were coming in contact with stronger levels of Shadows.

Looking up to see Splendid still performing his attack runs in front of them to clear a path, he noticed that the tall buildings were making it more difficult to attack on the fly, making targets in the street harder to hit. With Splendid on the constant move, his accuracy to hit ground troops was diminishing; Russell was not going to survive on his own.

Nodding his head, the Stranger looked to Flippy and Flaky, who were both at battle stances and ready for his next command, breathing rapidly from the fight but smiling widely to show they still had the will to continue. The Stranger pointed his knife forward and made a quick nod.

"Alright, we're doing well. Let's regroup with Russell and give the guy some assistance!"

Without hesitation, Flippy and Flaky, along with the lone generic, charged forward with the Stranger to assist Russell and his platoon to push forward. Half-way to their destination, the Stranger could see Platoon Alpha has already commence combat with the Shadows, and was not progressing far either. He sped up his pace, making sure he would reach them safely in time to give assistance.

The Stranger was then confused as he heard chatter coming from his radio. Not wanting to stop, the Stranger placed his pistol back in his pocket and pulled out his radio, bringing it quickly up to his ear while still sprinting forward.

"Yes?! Pop, what is it?!"

The Stranger pulled the radio away from him a bit as Pop was practically screaming into the radio, speaking in an inaudible language. Stressed by the situation, the Stranger gripped the radio tightly and spoke in a demanding voice. "Pop, speak clearly for God's sake, what's the problem?!"

"LOOK UP!"

Confused by what Pop meant, the Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and the lone generic stopped moving and looked upwards at the pitch black sky above them. The Stranger was beginning to point out how the clouds were moving clockwise, and their dark color scheme was rather threatening and yet familiar.

The Stranger gasped as he realized what was about to happen. He brought the radio up to his ear once more and yelled for every channel to hear.

"RUSSELL! GET OUT OF THERE, NOW!"

Up at the battlefield, Russell caught word of the Stranger's command, and was confused by his worrying tone. He then heard a rumble in the sky above them, and looked up to see a bright flame beginning to form amidst the clouds. Russell instantly remembered the same clouds from the large meeting at the base of the tall tree, and knew exactly what that bright light meant.

Not waiting any longer, Russell backed away from the fight and waved his hook in the air while jumping up and down frantically. "YAR, run! Run!"

Hearing the command given by their leading officer, the unique Tree Friends looked behind them to see Russell waving them over. Lumpy, however, was looking up the entire time, and was staring at the bright glowing light that was becoming more luminous as they waited.

Suddenly, a giant meteor was shot out the dark clouds at an intense speed, and was heading directly towards them. Lumpy screamed loudly and ran back, along with the other unique Tree Friends. The generics, completely dumbfounded by the screaming due to still being in fierce combat with the Shadows, ran in multiple directions as they caught a glimpse of the first meteor coming down.

The Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and the generic jumped back and fell to the ground as the meteor struck in front of them, landing on top of dozens of generic Tree Friends and even a large number of Shadows, killed by their own creator. The heavy impact destroyed the road it landed on, and raised a massive dust cloud that reduced visibility.

Groaning in pain, the Stranger and his friends pushed themselves up briefly, rubbing their heads after the sudden impact. The Stranger than heard a second rumble, and looked up to see multiple smaller meteors beginning to fall from the sky above them, all lit up in massive flames.

Seeing how he was stuck in a trance after staring at the incoming meteors, Flippy and Flaky picked up the Stranger to his feet and all began running back as meteors showered the road in front of them, hitting multiple structures along the way. Each impact caused a tiny earthquake that shook the ground, destroying the road and damaging any nearby buildings.

Upon the worst of the impacts, the Stranger looked over to see a med-sized tower lose its foundation, and slowly tumble over onto the upper-right side of the road, completely blocking that path. Keeping their bearings straight after the vibration from the collapsing building, the Stranger breathed heavily as he observed the sudden destruction in front of him.

The sound of silence scared the Stranger to his core, and brought his radio back up to his mouth and spoke at a fast pace.

"RUSSELL?! RUSSELL, can you hear me?!"

There was only static on the other end of the radio; not a single voice could be heard.

"Russell, please respond, now!"

Still, only the sound of static was the response.

"Russell?! Lumpy, Shifty, Lammy, Disco Bear, anyone from Platoon Alpha, respond!"

Flippy and Flaky bowed and shook their heads. They could not escape the sudden bombardment of raining hell. Death was theirs today.

The Stranger cringed and grasped the radio tightly, and stomped his foot on the ground furiously. "FUCK! That son of a bitch planned it! Just… God damn it!"

Breathing in a frantic and furious tone, the Stranger came up with a solution to their dilemma. "Okay, okay… there's nothing we can do now except push forward. We have to keep fighting no matter what!"

Flippy and Flaky looked up and nodded their heads, agreeing with the Stranger's statement. Seeing their approval, the Stranger brought his radio back up and gave new instructions.

"Alright, Pop, situation: unit count is at critical levels, and we request support immediately. Move up from your position and move as fast to our position, avoiding as much combat until we regroup. Splendid, you go back and provide a path for Pop and Platoon Bravo to meet up with us safely. Cuddles, I need you to meet up impact site just now; we'll move ahead a bit and find a path. Clear?!"

"CLEAR!"

The Stranger nodded his head quickly and looked up to see Splendid perform a 180-degree turn around and head off to the western border of town, where Pop and Platoon Bravo will be exiting from. After seeing his dismissal, the Stranger placed the radio back on his coat pocket and pulled out his pistol once more, and looked down the same destroyed road that was just hit.

He sighed, then looked behind him at his friends and beckoned them over with a jolt of his head. "Come on… we got to move."

Flippy and Flaky got their knives at the ready, and, with the lone generic still on their side, followed the Stranger down the road to the destruction.

* * *

Pop grunted as he placed the radio on his coat pocket, and looked forward with a determined grin on his face. He observed the burning and war-torn city and slowly nodded his head as he realized it was time for him and his side to help with the approach. He was ready to fight and avenge the death of his friends, along with freeing his son from the hellish world.

He then felt a tug on his coat, and looked down to see Cub looking a little scared as he watched his father unsheathe his knife to be used for battle. Cub dropped the flag he was given and was starting to whimper in fear at the sight of his father going to leave him… and possibly never come back.

Pop was deeply struck by the sight of his son beginning to cry, and knelt down to the ground to face him closely. While initially hard to make, Pop made a reassuring smile to his son while holding onto a glint of hope in his eyes, looking at his son happily. He then dropped his knife and moved forward to hug his son tightly, holding him one more time in his arms.

Cub began to silently cry as Pop slowly patted his son, whispering kind words to soothe his sorrow. Knowing he had to move now, Pop brought his arms away from Cub while still keeping eye-contact on him, still saddened by Cub's depressed appearance.

Looking back and forth on the ground, Pop reach over for the small flag once more and handed over his son, making a smile while creating a fist in his hand. He placed the rebel flag in his son's hands, and nodded his head with a determined grin. There was silence between the two until Cub returned with a smile of his own while holding the flag proudly.

Pop chuckled lightly and patted his son on the head before picking up his knife and standing back up straight again. As Cub backed away from his father and Platoon Bravo, Pop called forth his officers, Sniffles, Nutty, Mime, Handy, Mole, Toothy, and an un-frozen Cro-Marmot, to meet up in the front with their weapons drawn.

The unique Tree Friends did just that and stood directly behind Pop, with the remaining generic forces standing behind them. They all stood up straight and looked down at the burning city, and tensed up their bodies to ready themselves for battle.

Pop then turned around to see an incoming Splendid, who stopped in the air above them while giving a salute, which Pop answered with a short wave of his hand. Seeing that he was acknowledged, Splendid turned back once more and flew slowly to look for a clear path for Platoon Bravo to move through.

With his entire team ready, Pop raised his knife in the air and slung it forward.

"MOVE!"


	17. Ch 15: Take It Back, Part II

**Chapter 15.2**

**Take It Back, Part II**

* * *

Cuddles and his archery platoon were practically dodging combat left and right as they moved through the town. After receiving a command to rendezvous with the Stranger, Cuddles realized the drastic situation they were in.

Without any proper ground troops and Splendid having to provide aerial cover for Pop and Platoon Bravo to meet up with them, Cuddles and his team of archers were on their own until they successfully re-group with the Stranger. And since they were entering the denser parts of Happy Tree Town, their form of combat was beginning to lose its effectiveness with every step to take.

Keeping a firm grip on his slingshot and a sharp quill ready to be launched, Cuddles moved ahead of his platoon and lead the charge to meet up with the Stranger. As they ran, Cuddles took precautionary measures by observing his environment carefully and swiftly, making sure they were not bound to get themselves cornered by an army of Shadows.

Sadly, this event would come sooner than later as Cuddles and his platoon stopped and noticed a wave of Shadow Infantry heading down the east side of the road, the direction they needed to go to meet up with the Stranger. As the archers fired downrange to take out as many Shadows before they got the chance to attack, Cuddles looked back and forth and saw a north-passage through town that could lead them around the Shadows and still regroup with the Stranger.

Nodding his head at his plan, Cuddles shot two quills down at the incoming Shadows while moving sideways and gestured his hand to move his platoon northward, seizing fire and ignoring the incoming troops. Though skeptical of his plan, the generics followed behind with their slingshots still raised.

While there was certainly no massive wave of Shadows heading their way, the road around the Shadows was still heavily occupied by other Shadows, especially those who were held up in the buildings above them. Cuddles' eyes watched in shock as he noticed Shadow Archers popping out from cover and shooting down waves of arrows onto their position.

Cuddles pointed left and right while running back and forth down the road, signaling the generics to loosen their formation. While doing so, Cuddles took his slingshot and shot Shadow after Shadow, hitting them directly in the head without missing a shot. As they climbed over rubble and did their best to avoid combat, the constant barrage of arrows was slowly taking a toll on his platoon, killing off his team one after another.

Now taking a right once more down the road, Cuddles could visibly see the destruction site where the Stranger planned for them to regroup. Breathing heavily as he was still shooting while on the move, Cuddles waved over to his remaining members of his platoon, now at half-capacity, to move down the street.

Cuddles then felt a massive shock of pain striking his left shoulder, and collapsed the ground hard. He gritted his teeth and cringed in pain as he opened his eyes and looked over to see what was causing such severe pain.

He quickly noticed that a sharp and dark looking arrow struck deep into his body, piercing his flesh and going straight through the other side. As arrows continued to fall onto his position, Cuddles crawled on the ground while doing his best to pull out the arrow, but the pain was too intense for him to handle. It was jammed inside his shoulder bone and lacked the strength to move.

Still gritting his teeth hard from the pain, Cuddles looked up once more and saw a Shadow Archer aiming directly at him, ready to fire and finish him off. Cuddles raised his hand over his eyes, not wanting to see his incoming death. He didn't want it to end like this, but he closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

But he noticed that it was taking some time for him to get shot as he was expecting it to happen. Cuddles opened his eyes once more and saw the Shadow shot in the forehead and falling out of the window. Shocked by the accurate shot, he snapped back into clarity as he was hoisted up by two generic Tree Friends, bringing him back to his feet. The generics helped him escape death.

Sighing in both relief and pain, Cuddles noticed they were still in a hot zone, and had to keep moving now. But with the arrow still jammed into his shoulder, he could not hold a steady grip on his slingshot or fire it effectively. Agitated by the situation, Cuddles dropped his slingshot and pulled out his knife, and limped forward while cheering his platoon onward.

Still surprised at how he was saved, two generics stay by his side and giving him personal cover fire and walking assistance as Cuddles and his remaining platoon pushed up to meet with the Stranger, and prayed silently that they would be waiting for them there.

* * *

The Stranger, Flippy, Flaky, and the lone generic traversed carefully through the destruction site, climbing over building rubble and around the intact pieces of the meteors. Despite their small size, due to the abundance of them, such a small area was drastically affected and destroyed by their massive force, leaving nothing behind upon collision.

Not even surviving bodies of Platoon Alpha. As the Stranger and his friends crawled through the wreckage, their eyes could not help but stare at the mutilated and crushed bodies of both the Shadows and the Tree Friends. The heavy force either ripped their bodies apart, splattering blood everywhere, or crushed them entirely.

Flippy shook his head in disbelief at the site of so many innocent people killed in one barrage, and Flaky shed a few tears silently at the dead bodies. The Stranger only sighed in grief as he noticed the dead body of Russell, knowing that this was bound to happen, though he wished it never would.

After slowly crawling through the wreckage, the Stranger and his friends were back on the now-cracked road, and looked up to see how close they were to the tower. The Stranger stood in awe at its size, standing tall beyond any other building, and its ominous glow instilling fear to those who watched it. Before it was nothing but a large tree; now, it was a giant steel tower fit for an evil ruler.

The Stranger felt his body shake a little by force, and looked to his left to see Flippy tugging on him while pointing down the west side of the street. He looked up and smiled in his mind to see Cuddles and his remaining archers sprinting up to them, surviving the short trek on their own.

The Stranger took a few steps forward to meet up with Cuddles and his team, but his happiness to see him was dropped when he noticed Cuddles was severely wounded with a giant arrow stuck on his left shoulder, and it looked like it was in deep.

Cuddles held onto his shoulder and shook violently as the pain was only getting worse, and, once he got up to the Stranger, felled on his right knee while groaning in pain. The Stranger, seeing how dire his situation was, placed his weapons back in their holsters and hoisted Cuddles back up to his feet.

Placing Cuddles' right arm around and over his shoulders, the Stranger looked around swiftly while thinking of a plan. "We got to get that arrow out of you, Cuddles; we need you in this fight! Okay, we'll…"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he noticed that, down the east side of the road, an incoming infantry unit of Shadows was heading to their position, and they were moving fast. They appeared to be even stronger, now wielding larger and more menacing weapons, and their battle cries loud enough to be heard across the town.

"SHIT! We're going to be trapped!" The Stranger breathed rapidly in anxiety and fear of the situation, unable to think of a backup plan. Flippy looked back and forth while the Stranger held Cuddles tightly over his shoulders, and did his best to find an escape route.

He then noticed a large and open alleyway that, if went through, would lead them to the town plaza, which was directly next to the south entrance of the tower. Thinking it was their only option, Flippy waved his hand at the Stranger while pointing down the alleyway nearby. The Stranger looked over and noticed exactly what Flippy was pointing out and nodded his head in agreement.

"Worth a try; let's go!"

Everyone agreeing to the plan, the Stranger, Flippy, Flaky, Cuddles and the remaining archery platoon looked away from the incoming Shadows and headed north towards the alleyways, and moved as fast as they could in a single file line to navigate the enclosed area.

* * *

Destruction and death.

That's all what he could see down beneath him; the destruction of buildings and the piles of dead bodies littering the streets. It wasn't the first time he seen such a scene, and it doesn't faze him as much as it did before, those times were nothing but accidental mishaps that he did not intend to cause.

This was for real; this destruction was done on purpose, and as the superhero he tried to be, it all felt like it broke his character, that he was not doing his job. He wanted to help and protect Tree Friends while also keeping the city safe, and do so without any deaths. But now he is actually killing on purpose, and Splendid felt sick doing so.

As he flew over the battlefield, though, he reminded himself one key fact: these Shadows were here to harm the innocent people of Happy Tree Town, and they were led by an evil god who had to be stopped, no matter the cost. As the superhero, he must protect and serve the Tree Friends, and if this was his only way of doing it, then he will accept it.

Remembering his command to follow Pop on the ground and lead Platoon Bravo through the town to regroup with the Stranger, Splendid lowered his altitude to keep a closer observation on the battlefield, looking for the quickest and safest path toward their target while also providing covering fire.

He instantly caught eye of Pop leading Platoon Bravo down the west side of the city, and were quickly entering the downtown city districts. Looking ahead of them, Splendid was met with the sight of hundreds of incoming Shadow Infantry, ready to meet up and attack Pop and his platoon.

Knowing that action was required now in order to stay alive, Splendid dropped his altitude further until he was just below the rooftops of the tallest towers. He slowly flew just above Pop and quickly began to gesture his hands to head down the short road north before heading east again, warning him of the incoming threat about to appear.

Seeing Splendid giving an observation report, Pop took it as a warning and changed his plan of action. Stopping at the center of the next intersection, Pop pointed his knife to the north and led the charge up the road, hoping to avoid combat as much as they could. Platoon Bravo followed suit after hearing the command.

With Pop now going into a different direction, Splendid took the opportunity to buy them some time. Looking over at the incoming army, he took note of a weak structure near the road that was bound to collapse any second. Thinking of a plan, Splendid flew low to the ground, just above the heads of the Shadows.

The Shadows took their stand and raised up their weapons, ready for Splendid's attack. However, they were not prepared to see Splendid not colliding with them, but shooting his laser vision at the foundations of the nearby building, completely missing the Shadows.

The strong gust of wind that came from Splendid flying fast above them brought the Shadows onto the ground hard, following onto their backsides. Getting up slowly while thinking why their enemy completely avoided them, one Shadow looked over at the tall structure near them and noticed that is was slowly bending over… in their direction.

The Shadow screamed loudly and pointed at the tumbling building, and the others only watched in horror how the tall structure collapsed on top of them, crushing their bodies and killing them instantly, with only a few survivors appearing after the rubble stopped falling.

Pop heard the loud destruction of a building, and looked over to see a large dust cloud forming while Splendid constantly flew back and forth over the city, taking down multiple structures or eliminating Shadows, causing large explosions on a frequent basis. Before he would find this only an annoyance and a failure of his character. But now, Pop, though hard to even admit it, had him to thank for helping them now.

Now taking a right and heading east once more, Platoon Bravo was still marching strong and fast as they continued to head for the Stranger's current position. Pop was thinking, with Splendid above them, they were in the clear, with no possibility of screw ups ever occurring.

He did not prepare, however, for a surprise attack on the Shadow's part. Going briefly down the road between the enclosure of two rows of buildings, Pop and Platoon Bravo were sent into fear as Shadows began appearing between the alleyways in all directions, practically surrounding them in their position.

Pop frantically looked around and was distraught at the sight of no possible escape route; they were cornered, and there was only one thing they could do.

Fight.

Pop backed up slowly to his entire platoon, and pointed his knife forward at the enemy around them. Many of the unique Tree Friends were staring in total shock, the surprise attack and threatening looks of the Shadows instilling fear into their hearts. But they held their ground and brought their knives and weapons forward, bunching up in a giant circle, with the generics spreading out in multiple directions to give cover to their officers.

He looked behind him to see all of his friends going into a battle stance, ready to fight when the command was given. Pop nodded his head, and with a swing of his knife, and called it out.

"ATTACK!"

All the Tree Friends performed a loud battle cry and ran forward with the generics to the Shadows in front of them, and commenced intense and brutal combat in an effort to survive.

Pop was fighting valiantly and without fear. Swinging his knife as if it were a longsword, his will to keep fighting and not stopping was fueled by the thought of his son. He knew he wasn't the best father, but he would do anything to protect him, and he was going to be sure his son would make it out of this. He killed Shadow after Shadow, and showed no signs of backing down.

Handy, despite not having any hands, was still determined to fight. Utilizing his hardhat as both a weapon and piece of armor, he rammed into the crowd of Shadows, knocking them over while they made a futile attempt to attack his head, his hardhat absorbing the damage. His large tail came useful for knocking out the enemy, and his work boots were perfect for crushing the skulls of the Shadows.

Nutty was purely insane. After eating plenty of sugar before fighting, he was practically invincible. The added effect of the sugar high made him bounce around wildly, swinging his knife like a mad murderer and slicing open multiple bodies of the Shadows. Despite their best efforts, Nutty's intense speed was too much for them, and the Shadows were easily being taken care of by a candy-eating addict.

Mole seemed the least concerned of the situation, and was just mildly swinging around his knife without knowing were the enemy was. His inaccurate and frequent swings, though, were surprisingly effective in dispatching the Shadows, and whatever he was doing was turning out well.

Sniffles and Toothy were fighting like basic warriors, using their knives as best as they could to kill each Shadow that came their way. Despite Sniffles not having his inventions on him or Toothy having any particular talent, they still were doing quite well working side to side, and were making great progress on defending their position.

Mime did something quite different: he provided a show. Distracting the Shadows with his daily routine of a mime, the Shadows watched confusingly how Mime seemed to be making an imaginary sword from scratch as if he were a blacksmith. When Mime was completed on 'forging' his 'sword,' he made a quick three-sixty degree spin, swinging his imaginary weapon like it was real. For a moment, it was just a brief pause. But then, every Shadow that stood by watch found their heads rolling off, and their bodies dropping to the floor while gushing blood. Completely unexpected.

And then there was Cro-Marmot, now unfrozen from his icy cage thanks to the Tree Friends finally warming him up. What was surprising, though, was how he fought. Perhaps it is his caveman instincts, but with his huge club in his hand, he was smashing the bodies of the Shadows left and right, knocking them away with ease. Blood and guts was dripping from his club, and he constantly continued to eliminate any Shadow.

Pop, still fighting off the Shadows, was feeling quite victorious in their standoff, seeing how his kill count was rising with every dead Shadow.

But there was something that was beginning to worry him; they did not stop coming. Despite their skill at killing them, the Shadows just kept coming in, showing no signs of retreating. While he was fighting them easily now, the large numbers was exhausting, and was sadly finding out he was losing strength from the constant fighting. Even the other Tree Friends were slowly dwindling in strength, with their generic troops being killed off one by one.

Pop realized how bad their situation was when he failed to block a swing from the sword of a Shadow, and was struck with a slice to his abdomen. He fell onto the ground in pain, a large gash appearing on his stomach and slowly bleeding. Pop placed his hand over the wound while lying on the ground, and gasped as he looked up to see the Shadow preparing to swing his sword onto him.

Pop raised his sword up and collided it with the Shadow's sword, now in a gridlock and struggle for his life. Pop gritted his teeth and watched with anger at the Shadow as his wound was slowly weakening him, almost to the point of collapsing. If he slipped now, the Shadow's sword would swing down onto him, and kill him instantly.

He couldn't hold it for much longer, and began to say his final wishes for his son's safety.

* * *

The Stranger was carrying a bloodied Cuddles, whom, by judging the limp grip he had on his shoulders, was slowly bleeding out due to the giant arrow jabbed into the bone of his left shoulder. He, along with Flippy, Flaky and the archery platoon, were navigating the corridors of the alleyways to reach the plaza nearby, where they will be just at the entrance of the No Man's Land leading to the tower.

The Stranger was breathing rapidly in both fear and exhaustion, carrying a dying Cuddles and the constant fighting starting to get to him. While it initially looked like the battle was in their favor, the deeper they got into the city, the harder everything was getting…

And how worse their chances of victory were becoming.

Now seeing they were at the entrance to the plaza, the Stranger hopped over to the wall of a building just before entering the plaza, and slowly placed Cuddles onto the cold concrete floor. He unhooked the medkit that was attached to his vest, and dropped it beside Cuddles, opening it up to pull out the items he needed.

Too busy to face him, the Stranger spoke calmly to Flippy while observing the arrow in Cuddles' shoulder. "Flippy, take the team ahead and check the area. Once Cuddles is patched up, we're moving." Flippy gave a short salute and gestured the small group of archers to follow him out to the plaza. Flaky stayed for a short time observing the Stranger quietly, and followed Flippy shortly after.

The Stranger could tell Cuddles was in tremendous pain as he was chattering his teeth and shaking violently, with even the slighted tug on the arrow making him cringe. He had to get the arrow out, though; if left untreated, he was as good as dead.

Knowing there was only one option, he grasped the arrow with his right hand and placed his left on Cuddle's shoulder. He looked at Cuddles with a serious expression and spoke quickly. "Cuddles, I need you to hold it together. Deep breaths and stay with me here. Got it?" Cuddles only nodded slowly.

Nodding back, the Stranger counted at a brisk pace. "Three, two, one, PULL!" With one push on his shoulder and a strong pull on the arrow, the Stranger successfully tore the arrow out of Cuddles' shoulder, the arrow now completely broken upon removal.

Cuddles cried in pain and agony and almost went unconscious from the removal of the arrow. He took deep breaths and gritted his teeth, holding it together as best as he could.

The Stranger quickly went for some medicine and bandages and slowly started to apply them. "Good, good, hold it together, Cuddles. You're going to make it."

As the Stranger was busy mending Cuddles back to health, Flippy and the archery platoon proceeded to march into the plaza, scoping out the small business area. Flippy kept his eyes sharp, looking around his environment while listening for any suspicious activity. Flaky was following by his side, holding her knife with both hands while carefully walking through the plaza.

The setup was the same the first time the Stranger came to Happy Tree Town: plenty of small business shops, decorative stone pattern flooring, and a large fountain in the center, everything still intact despite the recent destruction.

The Tree Friend Archers kept their slingshots at the read while Flippy carefully walked forward, not letting his guard down for a second. For some reason, Flippy had a gut instinct that told him that they weren't alone in the plaza.

Flaky jolted when Flippy came to a sudden stop and raised his knife in the air, halting everyone's positions. Flaky got up next to Flippy and was looking concerned on why they stopped moving. Flippy, though, was eyeballing the area in front of him, examining every inch of scenery he could see.

His eyes then caught a small two-story building on the other end of the plaza, and he stared at it curiously. After only a few seconds, Flippy's eyes began to widen and gasped at what he knew the position everyone was now in.

The Stranger, after careful work on fixing up Cuddles, wiped his forehead of the sweat after seeing he successfully covered Cuddles' wound, with his body now cleaned up and fixed. Cuddles gently smiled and chuckled a bit after the emergency surgery while the Stranger placed the remaining medical equipment back into its case.

Both coming up to their feet at the same time, the Stranger realized a problem that just came to his mind. "God, where the hell is Pop and-"

"AMBUSH!"

The Stranger and Cuddles jumped at Flippy calling out such a situation, and both peeked over the corner of the alleyway to view down the plaza to see what the concern was.

The Stranger almost went into shock as, in nearly every building in the opposite end of the plaza, Shadow Archers jumped out of cover and aimed their bows at the Tree Friends beneath them. Once they were in line of sight, the Shadows unleashed a barrage of arrows heading directly to anyone in the center of the plaza.

Flippy, Flaky and all the Tree Friend Archers randomly dispersed in multiple direction, either aiming for the inside of different buildings or behind whatever cover they could find. As arrows began to land in the crowd, taking out multiple generic Tree Friends, Flippy took cover behind a building while Flaky, too slow to react, dropped to her knees and crawled over to the fountain, laying down against the little cover she had.

The Stranger bounced back as an arrow almost struck him dead center in the forehead, and began to panic as they were all pinned down from arrow fire. Worse, Flaky was still in the center of the plaza and was the most visible to be hit; she was going to die if they didn't do anything to pull her out.

"SHIT! We're sitting ducks here!" The Stranger quickly grabbed his radio and activated the speaker, speaking rapidly and angrily. "Pop, come in! Pop, where the hell are you?!"

Static was the response.

"Pop, don't you do this with me, man, where the fuck are you?!"

No response…

The Stranger furiously swung his arms around, almost throwing the radio on the ground in a fit of rage. "FUCK! Not now!" He panted in anger, completely aggravated how he lost another platoon in such a short time, and are now just sitting alone in the dark while pinned down by archers.

He looked back and forth as he placed the radio back into its pocket, trying his best to think of a plan. As he pondered a solution, Cuddles, who was covering his wound on his left shoulder with his right hand, looked at the Stranger worriedly, desperately thinking of a way to help.

Cuddles' eyes widen after he took note of the grenades on the Stranger's vest. Though a longshot, Cuddles tapped on the Stranger's shoulders to grab his attention, which made him jump a little before responding. "What is it?!"

Cuddles pointed to the grenades on the Stranger's vest, and gestured his hands to throw while making a 'pow' sound with his mouth. The Stranger stood blank for a bit, thinking of what he was suggesting, then snapped his fingers as he caught the hint. "Good idea, Cuddles; let's work with it!"

The yellow rabbit smiled as the Stranger pulled out a grenade from his vest, and held it firmly in his hands. He took note of it, examining it and seeing it was just a simple M2 Frag Grenade, which was bound to cause some deadly damage to anyone who would be in its explosion.

Making a good grip on the grenade, the Stranger peeked over the corner while no pushing his head to far out to be shot, and looked over to see Flippy still pinned down behind a building, holding his position for as long as he could. The Stranger made a loud whistle, which took some time to alert Flippy.

As Flippy turned his head around to face the Stranger on the other of the plaza, he watched how his friend threw the inactive grenade towards him, and caught it as it came down from the sky. Flippy held the grenade in both his hands, and looked up to face the Stranger once more.

Pointing his finger downrange at the enemy while keeping a serious expression, the Stranger yelled out directly to Flippy. "Blow the sons of bitches up!"

Flippy smiled evilly and nodded his head at the command, and pulled the pin on the grenade to activate the timer. Flippy took a deep breath, calming his senses and muscles while quickly thinking where to throw. After just a brief second of cooking the grenade, Flippy jumped out of cover and threw the grenade at the occupied building down at the end of the plaza.

The grenade flew in the air like a baseball, circling around as it sped through the sky. Flippy and the Stranger watched the grenade fly in the air, almost as if time was slowing down. With an extraordinary amount of luck, the grenade hit the second floor window of the building occupied by the majority of Shadow Archers, and landed safely inside.

One of the Shadow Archers turned around to face the object that landed inside with them, and upon realizing it was an explosive device, he yelled loudly to his comrades to run. The grenade then created a huge explosion, bursting out the windows and collapsing the second floor, causing building material to fall under and kill the other Shadows underneath. It was an effective kill.

The Stranger did victory arm thrust as Flippy made a big grin at his successful throw. The remaining Shadow Archers were picked off by the generic Tree Friends and their slingshots, though without taking major casualties, now about only 10 remaining. The Stranger ran out of cover after seeing it was clear and made it to the center of the plaza to meet up with Flaky.

Flaky, this entire time hiding behind the fountain, was shaking violently after hearing the explosion and almost being struck with multiple arrows. She whimpered silently in fear, hoping she was going to be fine. Flaky jumped as she felt two strong arms wrap around her, and was afraid she was captured, ready to be sliced open and die.

"Flaky, calm down, we're safe now!"

Flaky opened her eyes to see the Stranger smiling widely out her, and looked around to see that Flippy and a couple of other Tree Friends were still fine. She chuckled and sighed in relief, and hugged the Stranger back tightly. The Stranger patted her softly on the back and placed her back down, happy to see she was calm once more.

The Stranger pulled out his knife and pistol once more and looked forward to see a road at the other end of the plaza, which will lead them straight to the entrance of the park, and thus, a clear runway to the tower. They were almost there.

He took a few steps forward while speaking proudly. "Alright, we're so close now, everyone! Just a few more steps and we…"

The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky turned around as they heard a loud set of cries emitting behind them. They all gasped in horror as a large group of Shadow Infantry were heading there way, weapons raised and everything.

The Stranger looked at the road and then at the tower, noticing that they were indeed very close to their target. He shook his head and yelled loudly. "Ignore them; we got to move, now!"

Not questioning the command, Flippy, Flaky, and the remaining generic Tree Friends made an about-face and began heading for the safety of the road, and make it to their target before it was too late.

But it may as well be considered too late, as the Stranger came to a sudden halt when he noticed another wave of Shadow Infantry coming from the road they intended to go on. He looked behind him to see the second set of Shadows moving in, and saw how they were trapped between multiple buildings in the center of the plaza. Just him, Flippy, Flaky, and 10 other generics, trapped.

"Damn it, we're fucking stuck!" The Stranger and Flippy held up their knives as the entire group slowly came together to form one big circular pile, looking in all directions as the Shadows moved into their position. The Stranger began to breathe rapidly in fear as the number was overwhelming, and his eyes jolted around as panic began to fill his mind.

He then looked over to see Flaky standing close beside him, shaking her hands as she held the knife in front of her. She never looked more scared than she did right now, seeing death straight in the face and seeing her demise coming so soon. This was not how it should have ended, but she was already accepting it as reality.

Sadden to see her this way, the Stranger got up next to Flaky and placed pistol in his left hand along with his knife so he could place his right hand on her shoulder. Flaky was shaken by the feeling and turned to face the Stranger, and was shocked to see that the Stranger was dawning a smile while giving her a quick nod.

Not knowing how to respond, Flaky decided to bunch up closer to the Stranger as everyone was now back to back in a circle, completely surrounded by an army of Shadows slowly making their way to finish them off.

As Flaky whimpered into the Stranger's body, he closed his eyes and swallowed his throat, awaiting for his death to be both swift and painless…

_Zzzzz… zzzzz…. Zzz… zzzzz_

The Stranger opened his eyes as he heard static coming from his radio. Confused on who it could be, and seeing they had no opportunity to run, the Stranger quickly grabbed the radio and activated the speaker.

"Yes?"

On the other side of the radio, the Stranger could hear what sounded like the humming of a heroic tune while also the sound of air being blasted through at high speed. The Stranger knew only one person to have a tune like that.

"Splendid?! Splendid, where...?"

The Stranger slowly looked behind up and noticed, flying high in the air, was a flying blue squirrel heading directly to their position, and could notice, just barely, a faint red glow coming from its eyes.

He dropped the radio onto the ground and dropped to his knees while covering his head.

"DANGER CLOSE! HUNKER DOWN!"

Confused by the command but not willing to judge, Flippy, Flaky, and the generics dropped to their knees and covered their heads. The Shadows stopped their march to see their enemy drop to their knees all of a sudden. Some of them chuckled, thinking they were making a futile attempt to surrender, while some thought it was some sort of trap.

Those who thought it was a trap were proven right as a small group of Shadows turned around and notice the red glare coming from an incoming blue flying squirrel. They pointed and scream and did their best to run, but Splendid fired, while praying silently for the sake of his attack run to work, two shots of his laser vision, aiming at both sides where the Stranger and his friends were being surrounded.

The collision of the lasers and the intense heat coming from them felt like a bomb dropping right next to them. The Stranger cringed and prayed that he was not hit, nor any of his friends, with such a close range attack run on their position. He blinked slowly, though, after realizing he was not on fire or, at the very least, injured.

The Stranger stood up straight, back into a battle stance, to see Splendid successfully hit a large number of Shadows that were no more than ten feet away from them, and the remaining were frantically running around after a surprise attack from above.

The situation only got better for the Stranger as, looking behind the Shadows, he could see the happy familiar faces of a large number of friends.

One of them being Pop.

The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky smiled widely as they saw Pop order Platoon Bravo to surround the plaza, and all the surviving members of the platoon, which included every unique Tree Friend of that group, bundled into groups that surrounded the shaken Shadows.

The Shadows looked back and forth, seeing that not only they were cornered, but had the enemy inside their group as well. Inside and out, they had nowhere to go.

Proud to see everyone together, and Flippy looking eager to kill, the Stranger brought out his knife forward and yelled with determination.

"Take them down, everyone!"

The Shadows instantly jolted in fear as they watched the Tree Friends run straight into them with weapons raised, and were all met with their ultimate demise, not even making it a fair fight.

The Stranger swung forward first, using his knife to deliver a damaging blow while firing off his pistol into the crowd of Shadows, hitting one after another. Flippy jumped back and forth, swinging his knife furiously and cutting out their organs with ease. And Flaky, now regaining sanity, fought in the battle as well, using her knife perfectly.

As they fought on the inside, Pop and Platoon Bravo used their previous skills to eliminate every Shadow, not leaving a single one alive. They smashed their skulls, slit their throats, and did everything to kill the Shadows and save their friends, and it was over in a matter of seconds.

Breathing heavily and almost collapsing after almost dying again, the Stranger wiped his forehead and sighed heavily, doing his best to keep his bearings. He looked up and noticed Splendid coming down from the sky, still hovering in the air but low enough to make eye contact.

The Stranger chuckled and gave Splendid a salute. "Good job, Splendid; you saved us!" Splendid smiled at the compliment and nodded his head, humming his heroic tune as he flew back up in the air to prepare for the final run.

The Stranger placed the pistol back into his pocket as Pop limped forward to meet with him. He was shocked to see Pop still standing with a giant wound on his abdomen, now covered with thick bandages. Pop faced a severe wound and fought for an extended amount of time, yet this and his old age were not enough to break his will to fight… and his will to protect his son.

The Stranger smiled proudly at Pop, and brought his hand out to give him a firm handshake. Pop smiled as well and accepted the handshake, nodding his head feeling proud.

"Nice timing there, Pop. Was a little worried you'd never show up." The two chuckled lightly at the comment before the Stranger pointed at Pop's stomach wound. "You sure you're still up to fight?" Pop brushed off his chest and nodded with his head, still willing to keep going.

The Stranger patted Pop on the shoulder softly. "You're son is going to be real proud of you when he hears how his father fought in battle and survived. You're a good man at heart, Pop." Pop smiled and nodded his head slowly.

Now seeing that everyone was now regrouped, with Platoon Bravo still retaining its unique unit along with 40 generics, the Stranger looked over at the road before looking up to see the tower. With everyone here, it was time to make the final push.

The Stranger dropped his smile and grunted lightly as he pulled out his knife and raised it high in the air above him. He then tilted it forward and spoke for every Tree Friend to hear.

"We're almost there, everyone. We can do this!"

Everyone cheered loudly, with Flippy and Flaky coming up and giving the Stranger a reassuring smile. He nodded proudly, and marched forward at a brisk pace. Pop rallied his platoon to march back into position, and the remaining Tree Friends sallied forth to the No Man's Land.

* * *

A slow drabble of rain had started to fall, running across the entire ruins that was once Happy Tree Town. The rain, falling in heavy yet small drops, slowly extinguished the burning flames that covered the destruction throughout the town, and blanketed the smell of death of rotting corpses of the town.

The Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and all of Platoon Bravo kept their heads down as they marched through town. Many of them felt relieved and yet scared at the same time as they marched towards the final run. After the plaza ambush, there was not a single encounter afterwards; simply only the sound of rolling thunder and the drops of rain occurring.

Observing the area around them, the surviving Tree Friends could not help but feel dreadful inside. For what felt like years of countless fighting, the world around them was now correctly imaged in the way it was to begin with: a living hell.

Multiple destroyed buildings, both before the attack and during, littered the streets with their debris, and the dead bodies of both Shadows and Tree Friends decorated the ground with their entrails and blood, along with the terrible stench of decaying organs. The silence mixed with rolling thunder and rain only made the situation look grimmer.

They could not wait for it to finally end.

The Stranger, marching ahead of the remaining Tree Friends, was clenching his knife and pistol tightly as he stared forward, not daring to keep his eyes off his goal. His body, along with everyone else's, was drenched in the blood of the dozens of Shadows his blade made contact with, and his body and breath tensed up after constant battle.

After all of the fighting before this battle, and now the constant work he has put into carrying out this short war, he was fully determined not only to rid this world of its existence, but also the life of the mad man who devised it. He was going to take back his freedom today, and was not going to back down now.

Flippy and Flaky marched up next to the Stranger and kept close to his side. They both looked exhausted from fighting, and wanted to collapse face-first like everyone else. But they too were not willing to give up now; they are too close to their goal to call quits, and they were prepared to fight by each other's side until they won.

The Stranger could feel their presence next to him without having to look up. He smiled happily in his mind, knowing they have survived this battle with him thus far, and was even happier to know they stuck with him, even in the darkest of situations. They were good people that deserved freedom just like him, and he was sure they were all going to achieve it.

"Flippy… Flaky…"

The two looked over at the Stranger attentively, hearing him call their names in a calm voice. The Stranger stayed blank for a moment, thinking of what to say, then brought his head up to speak, looking back and forth between them.

"I know this battle was rough, something that, as I said, none of you should have been involved in, but…"

The Stranger took a deep breath and smiled widely at his two friends. "I'm really glad to have you two as friends; good friends who have stuck with me all the way up to this point. And when we finish this fight, when we finally leave this world… I like to take all of you out for a drink, to celebrate our victory, our freedom… and to forever being friends. We will never forget each other, and will be by each other's sides, both here… and the real world."

Surprising both of them, the Stranger crudely placed his weapons in his pockets briefly before grabbing both Flippy and Flaky with his arms, hugging them tightly as he chuckled at them being startled. All three of them smiled, with the Stranger planting a small kiss on Flaky, making her blush significantly.

After a few more minutes of silent marching in the falling rain, the Stranger and his army came to a four-way intersection, coming in from the eastside. The west and south were both blocked off by destruction, thus leaving their only choice to go north.

Which was the one path they only needed to take as, with the Stranger turning his body and halting in shock, they all noticed that, just a few feet in front of them, lied the expansive No Man's Land that was the large central park of Happy Tree Town.

And what stood at the end was the large metallic tower that stood above any building in the destroyed city. The Stranger could not count how many floors there were, nor could he ever recognize it as the once huge tree it used to be. It was so menacing up close, the steel-silver exterior glowing brightly, along with a faint aura of light that emitted around it.

Above the tower, the Stranger could see the darkest of all clouds swirling above it, almost low enough to cover the top of structure. Small strikes of lighting came from the clouds, and the tower stood tall, casting a large shadow behind it.

The Stranger and the Tree Friends all stopped in the center of the intersection, staring in awe and fear at the gigantic tower that acted as a menacing castle for an evil king, with some even quivering in sheer horror at the sight. The sight of the tower alone was enough to make some Tree Friends want to retreat and never look back.

But it wasn't the tower that worried the Stranger and his fight for freedom; it was nothing but a hideout for an evil mad man. What worried him most, though, was what stood between him and the tower.

Scattered across the No Man's Land was the complete destruction from yesterday's attack. Meteors, both small and large, were resting deep across the land, big pieces of solid rock that laid quietly across the destruction. Some building material also found its way scattered across the ground after being met with sheer force of impact from the meteor's collision with the earth.

And what stood out worse than any sight the Stranger could imagine in a situation like this,

Was the vast number of Shadows that stood their ground in front of the giant tower. Hundreds of imitating Shadows stood in unmeasurable ranks, holding out their weapons forward while staring down the small hill at the tiny force that stood in front of them. Those with sharp swords stood in front, while archers stationed themselves at the base of the tower, readying their bows to be fired.

The Shadows smiled evilly and laughed at the sight of their opposition, consisting of just barely 50 Tree Friends. Their crimson red eyes and menacing battle cries instilled fear to those that stood beneath them. To even touch the open gates of the tower, the Stranger and his 'army' had to run through them, a challenge that was not even worth thinking about.

Flippy and Flaky stood in shock at the wave after wave of Shadows standing in front of them, questioning even themselves that it was at all possible to run through them. The Stranger, though, stood determinedly as he faced his foes dead on. He did not take his eyes off the Shadows, nor show any fear. He was not ready to give up here, and still had one more plan of attack to carry out.

Flippy, along with Flaky, looked over at the Stranger to see him standing up with no fear while staring at the Shadows. Confused on what he was planning, the two got up next to him and gestured their hands to question his next move. They certainly had no idea how to tackle such an opposition of this size with so little numbers, so it was justifiable to ask what to do next.

The Stranger noticed and nodded his head as he reached out for his radio and activated the speaker, bringing the radio up to his mouth and speaking loudly.

"Splendid, we're at the base of the No Man's Land, all lined up for the final assault. You have permission to commence an attack run on the Shadows near the tower. Clear us a path, Splendid; it's up to you!"

"OKAY!"

Splendid yelled into the radio as he traveled at intense speeds in the sky above Happy Tree Town. He was circling above the area, giving a bird's eye view of the town to make sure it was perfectly clear for the Stranger and his army. But now came the moment of truth; his time to make himself more useful than ever was now upon him. He was ready to be the hero he wanted everyone to see.

To make sure he had a clear and straight path to his target, Splendid flew far away from the town while keep a low altitude just above the top of the surviving structures in Happy Tree Town. He kept his arms out straight, his flaps hanging out while his fist clutched up in fists. He squinted his eyes to keep his vision clear against the blast of wind against his face, and cleared his mind of any thought except on the task at hand.

Seeing he was far away enough, Splendid made a 180-degree turn, spinning around slowly while still keeping a straight path. He then made himself align with the giant tower in the center of the park, and observed closely at his target: the hundreds of stacked up Shadows standing in the open. It will be an easy and clean run, and he aimed himself at the first rank of Shadows.

The Stranger watched Splendid slowly approach the No Man's Land in the air, and placed his radio back on his vest pocket while making a small grin. Seeing his favorite aerial support moving in with ease, and the Shadows standing idiotically in the open, the Stranger had no doubt that they could lose now.

He dropped his smile as Flippy shook the Stranger by the shoulder, grabbing his attention instantly. "Flippy, what's wrong?!"

Flippy pointed his right index finger at the sky above them, and the Stranger already knew, and feared, what he was going to see. Directly above them, he could see the familiar movement of dark clouds circling above them, turning into charcoal-black as a large hole began to appear in the center.

The Stranger dropped his jaw and yelled loudly in shock. "EVERYONE, FALL… fall…?"

The Stranger stopped in mid-sentence as something caught his attention. Looking at the circling of clouds above them, he noticed the glow that was coming out of the open hold in the center. But, unlike the other ominous glows of past attacks, this glow was… a different shade of color. Instead of the usual fiery orange, this time it was… green.

Then something caught him off-guard, something that shocked the other Tree Friends that stared with him: the clouds began to move from their position, specifically the giant glowing hole in the center. The Stranger stood confused as he watched the clouds shift from their position and moving south, as if it were searching for something.

He noticed then that the giant hole was now centering over an incoming Splendid, who was almost in range of his target. The Stranger was completely dumbfounded by what he was seeing; Splendid is invincible, completely invulnerable to any kinetic damage. The Stranger did not know a single object that had the capability to even harm Splendid…

The Stranger's eyes widened and he gasped in sheer horror at the sudden realization. He did not know a way to kill Splendid since he never saw him die, nor did he know him long enough to witness any weaknesses.

But the mad man created this world along with the Tree Friends, each with their own weakness. The mad man was not going to make some wild random attack without knowing what he was doing.

He already knew Splendid's weakness, for he created it. And now,

He was going to exploit it.

The Stranger quickly grabbed his radio once more, his hands shaking violently trying to activate the speaker with all the fear and adrenaline kicking in his mind, and yelled into it.

"SPLENDID, DISENGAGE, DIS-"

Splendid was alerted by the command coming from the Stranger, but was too slow to realize why it was given. The Stranger dropped his radio and gasped as he watched the circling clouds with the glowing green center shoot out a mysteriously shaped object that emitted a dark green glow and a trail of toxic smoke following behind it.

The unsuspecting superhero looked up after noticing a faint green glow on his body, and yelled in horror as the giant green rock collided with him. Splendid could feel his skin burning and melting away, and all of his strength was sucked out of him, leaving him as a degrading husk falling from the sky.

As he and the giant green rock slowly headed for a damaged building, he whispered silently and weakly,

"…Kryptonut…"

The Stranger cried out in disbelief as he watched Splendid smash against the giant piece of Kryptonut, and see his body collide with a weakened structure. Upon impact, the building collapsed on both Splendid and the giant rock, crushing both under its debris.

Everyone cried and yelled out in horror how Splendid was so easily taken town by a giant rock, and began screaming and frantically running in circles as he was just over his target before being killed. He was so close to proving himself a hero, and yet he failed in the end once more.

The Stranger stood shaking his entire body, shaking his body nervously as he watched helplessly at the Shadows in front of him, not a single one touched or harmed. Not taking any rational thought into account, the Stranger bent over to pick up the radio once more and spoke fast, shaking the radio back and forth.

'SPLENDID! Splendid, hello?! Splendid, please, tell me you're okay, please?!"

_Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz_

The repeating wave of static was all the Stranger needed to confirm Splendid's fate. He stared at his radio, shaking his head back and forth as he spoke with a jitter. "N-No… n-n-no, not now… not now! T-This can't be-"

A large sound of battle cries was suddenly heard, making all the Tree Friends jump up in shock. The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky spun around and looked behind them to notice their situation only getting worse by the second.

Spawning out of thin air in dark portals were waves of Shadows, screaming menacingly with their weapons raised. They came charging out of the portals one by one, not even bothering to stop to form a formation.

The Stranger than looked to the west and east to see Shadows were also beginning to spawn, coming out of dark portals in infinite numbers. Flippy, Flaky and Platoon Bravo huddled up together as they watched themselves become surround from all sides. There was no escape now.

The Stranger breathed violently as he looked all around him, seeing all of his friends be stuck in an intersection just in front of their goal. He looked down and grabbed his pistol quickly, popping out the magazine and inserting a fresh one, and pulled out his knife with his left hand. He looked behind him once more to see the path to the tower still open but with the Shadows still in place.

The Stranger knew they had only one option now. They came this far, so there was no point in stopping now. He ran toward the direction of the No Man's Land shortly before stopping, turning around and waving in his hands in the air.

All the Tree Friends looked over as he cried out the only thing they could do.

"WE HAVE TO MOVE, NOW!"

Flippy and Flaky nodded their heads instantly and ran up to meet up with the Stranger. The Tree Friends, scared and oblivious to the world, withdrew their weapons and followed the Stranger, doing their best to avoid looking at the incoming danger that is surrounding them all. If they stopped and look now, they will be dead in a matter of seconds.

With everyone rushing towards him, and Flippy and Flaky by his side, the Stranger looked towards the No Man's Land, and noticed up the small hill leading to the tower that the defending Shadows were now in attack position, ready for their futile charge.

The Stranger gritted his teeth in rage, and let out a ferocious battle cry as he slung his knife forward and led the charge.

"CHAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!"

With his knife and gun raised, the Stranger made a mad dash from just in front of the intersection to the beginning of the open park, just at the ground level before moving up the hill. Flippy and Flaky followed in pursuit, looking straight at the large number of Shadows they were about to come in contact with. Pop, still in charge of Platoon Bravo, kept his strength and yelled along with the Stranger, leading the Tree Friends towards the suicide run.

The Stranger kept his eyes only on one target: the open gates of the tower behind the Shadows. He only had to do one thing now, and that was make it inside the tower. Nothing else had to be done except survive the charge and enter the tower, ending it once and for all.

As he ran forward, with the sound of rolling thunder and heavy rain falling on him, the Stranger looked over to his left to see Flippy running beside him, his large knife raised and his teeth showing their sharp edges. Despite the lack of the emerald eyes, Flippy looked like an insane Evil, ready to kill anything in his path. Unknowingly to the Stranger, Flippy was indeed prepared to kill any Shadow that dared try to stop him.

The Stranger then looked to his right to see a shaken but courageous Flaky, running forward with her knife raised and ready. On the outside, she was in a state of panic and horror, wishing only to retreat. But inside, she was ready to fight to the end, not letting her fear stop her from helping her friends. She looked over and noticed the Stranger observing her, and nodded with a determined grin as they kept moving forward.

Pop kept the rear flank occupied with all of Platoon Bravo raising their weapons and screaming at the top of their lungs. As their feet hit the dirty ground of the No Man's Land, they kept their minds clean of fear and only on sole vision: freedom, at any cost.

The Stranger looked forward once more and noticed the archers, large in numbers, begin raising their bows upward, and started to launch a barrage of sharp arrows in their vicinity. The Stranger observed the arrows heading high up in the sky, and begin to twist downward and let gravity become take them to their targets.

Seeing the incoming danger, the Stranger silently gestured his hands left and right, signaling everyone to break up. As they carried out the command, arrows began to strike the Tree Friends, piercing their flesh and bones, killing or immobilizing them instantly.

The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky jumped left and right as they ran forward, barely dodging any of the arrows that came their way. Platoon Bravo, though, was losing units at a terrifying rate. 50 was dwindled down to a mere 30 in just one wave of arrows, with Cuddles, Toothy, and Nutty facing instant death.

Pop looked back in shock and fear, seeing so many die in one wave. The death of his friends, though, fueled his anger and yelled louder as he sped up his run, making the surviving members of Platoon Bravo go into an intense sprint.

The Stranger kept moving up the hill, still doing his best to dodge the waves of sharp arrows. As he kept up his evasive maneuvers, he felt his left shoulder get cut open as the edge of n steel arrow-tip grazed him, spurting out a small trail of blood. He brought his right hand over the wound briefly as Flaky caught him on the move, keeping him from falling over.

The second barrage of arrows once again did a massive impact on the Tree Friends. Mime's invisible shield was of no use and died with an arrow striking through his eye, and Cro-Marmots' lack of an icy barrier made him face a deadly end of an arrow. Sniffles, Mole, and Handy also faced their ultimate demise, not even making it close to victory. It was now Pop and 12 other generics that made up Platoon Bravo.

Noticing how close they were coming, the archers seized fire and the Shadow Infantry that formed a blockade in front of the tower performed a large battle cry as they begun a downhill charge at their enemy. They began to slowly encircle the Stranger, giving him no way out.

The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky looked around them to see their position be compromised, and that their certainly was no way of avoiding a fight now. The Stranger, tensing up with rage, raised up his pistol and began to randomly fire into the crowd of Shadows in front of him, instantly killing anyone that came in contact with the bullets.

Constantly firing his gun and yelling in fury, the Stranger looked behind him and yelled towards the remaining team. "Don't stay and fight; just keep moving forward! DON'T STOP!" No one made a response, but they all knew what they had to do.

Reloading his pistol, the Stranger could see they were almost at the gates of the tower, so close towards victory. He also noticed that they were not even fifty feet away from facing combat with the Shadows, and any second now blades will be colliding together and only the strongest will make it out alive.

Completely unsuspected, the Stranger saw Flippy grab the second grenade on the Stranger's vest without his permission, instantly pulled the pin, and threw the grenade in the wave of Shadows that stood in their path. The giant explosion obliterated the bodies of dozens of Shadows, ripping apart their limbs and leaving a weak opening for the Stranger.

Looking over to see Flippy only focused on killing the enemy, the Stranger raised his gun once more and fired off several rounds, dropping off multiple Shadows without breaking a sweat. Flaky ran as close to the Stranger as possible, and swallowed her throat as they were now just ten feet from colliding.

Seeing the opening caused by the grenade, the Stranger picked out the weakest looking Shadow and slung his knife forward, aiming for his stomach and slicing it open as he fired a pistol round to the head of another Shadow. He brought his knife out of the dead Shadow's stomach and jabbed the throat of another, shooting its forehead and bringing the knife out from the blast of the pistol.

Flippy protected the Stranger by moving forward and slinging his knife furiously, slicing up every Shadow that dared to come near him. Flaky also moved forward and quickly dispatched as many Shadow Infantry she could, not showing any signs of backing down. In fact, her face showed only fury instead of fear, and only wanted the death to end.

The Stranger, as he loaded in a new pistol clip after stabbing a Shadow in the chest, observed behind him in his peripheral vision that Pop and Platoon Bravo were now surround by Shadows. He watched helplessly as Pop fought valiantly for his son's freedom, but was sadly met with a blade jabbing through his open wound again, going deep inside and piercing his organs. He spewed out blood, and became lifeless in a matter of seconds.

As Pop felled to the ground, the remaining generics were torn to shreds, eliminating all of Platoon Bravo.

It was up to Flippy, Flaky, and the Stranger now to win.

Looking forward once more, the Stranger noticed they had a clear path now towards the gates of the tower, and were not even a hundred feet away from entering the building. They only had to make one final charge before entering, and the fighting would be finally over.

The Stranger looked to his sides to see Flippy and Flaky now free from combat as the remaining Shadows focused on tearing up the generics of Platoon Bravo. The Stranger, drenched in wet blood as the rain continued to fall on them, beckoned them over while on the move.

"Come on, we're almost there! We're… almost…"

As the Stranger, Flippy and Flaky ran up to the front gate of the tower, they noticed a faint black figure slowly emerge from the blinding light of the interior of the tower. They came to a complete halt, shield their eyes from the light as the Stranger tried to make out who the sole figure was walking out from the open gates.

The Stranger took a few steps forward, raising up his gun once more as the mysterious figure continued its slow emerge from the light. As his shape began to take form from the outside light, the Stranger noticed some familiar features that he saw once before.

He slowly lowered his weapons as he stood completely dumbfounded of what he was seeing. That heavy march was menacing looking, and it's hunched over look with its arms hanging down, along with a muscular figure, was both terrifying… and familiar.

At first, the Stranger was starting to think he was mad, that what he was seeing was actually the real deal, that this figure could possibly be something else.

But then he noticed one terrifying feature that made him, Flippy, and Flaky gasped in horror and almost die from the horrific sight of it.

One sole feature that he knew only one monster could ever have.

Glowing emerald eyes.

"EVIL!"

The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky took a few steps back as, when the figure took its first steps on the ground outside, it fully revealed its form.

It was a Shadow form of Evil, standing devilishly with his razor sharp teeth forming an evil smile, his body fur all matted and stained with blood, and his eyes glowing that signature emerald gold. His entire body was shrouded with darkness, with nothing but the color of black making up his skin and fur, along with a misty aura of black smoke hovering around him.

Evil's laugh was crackled and more menacing than the version before him, and was loud enough to slightly shake the ground beneath the Stranger. Flaky held onto the Stranger tightly as Flippy got into a battle stance, the Stranger staring only in pure horror that this thing was real.

"N-No… n-no, this isn't right! This isn't fair! This isn't-"

The Stranger stopped speaking and took a few steps backwards, holding onto Flaky as Evil reached inside his dark body to pull out two hand grenades, one in each palm. Flippy stood directly next to the Stranger as his eyes widen in shock of the explosive devices now in the hands of a monster.

Evil smiled and nodded his head slowly as he grasped the grenades in his hands, bringing his thumbs to meet the tiny pins on the top. The Stranger shook his head in fear, not knowing what to do now. He thought of a fallback solution for every trouble… except this one.

Their worst nightmare would become reality, though, when all three of them watched Evil pull the pins on the grenades, and throw them directly at them.

For a brief moment, the Stranger felt like time had slowed down. The rain was floating still in the air, and the grenades spun in circular rotations while heading towards them. The Stranger's eyes reflected the image of the grenades as he stared at their incoming cause of death. He could feel his own heartbeat trying to burst out of his chest and die of cardiac arrest, and his breaths echoed through his ears.

Flippy braced himself to jump away, hoping to avoid as much of the explosive shockwave as possible. Flaky hid her face in the Stranger, not wanting to see the explosion be the last thing she will ever see. And the Stranger, for the moment, reflected on everything up to this point. Every challenge, every fight, all of this work. He fought through so much.

And it was going to end by a couple of grenades just in front of his gate to freedom.

The Stranger grabbed onto Flaky as tight as he could, and slowly covered her body with his own to protect her from the blast.

The last thing the Stranger could remember was the sound of a large explosion going off, and everything in his vision turned to a bright white, along with the sound of white noise blanketing his ears.


	18. Ch 15: Take It Back, Part III

**Chapter 15.3**

**Take It Back, Part III**

* * *

_Am… am I dead? Is… is this heaven or… or hell… or…_

The Stranger looked around him slowly, and was startled to see only the color of white surrounding him. He tried to move his body, seeing how he was lying on the floor, but was only able to wiggle around in his place. He cringed and gritted his teeth as he used all of his strength to move, but was proved futile.

He stopped moving and relaxed for the moment, breathing in heavily after trying to break free from the invisible barrier. Seeing how he wasn't going anywhere, the Stranger closed his eyes and started to speak to himself silently.

_What happened? There was an explosion and… and there was Flippy and Flaky and me and… and Evil was there… wait… did Evil kill us? Did we… fail to make it to the end?_

The Stranger could not answer his own question, but couldn't help but slowly begin to leave a trail of tears on his face while he laid on the floor. He felt completely helpless and weak, and was slowly beginning to lose the feeling of hope.

_All of that work… all of that fighting… and I… and I…_

"Are you really serious, Stranger?! Like really, this is fucking it for you?!"

The sudden sound of the mad man's voice woke the Stranger up from his thoughts, but something was different. Instead of seeing the white light, he was unable to open his eyes. In fact, they felt incredibly heavy, as if something was forcing them shut.

"You come all this way, up to my fucking front door, with your stupid ass army, fight through all my minions, and you just sit and stop because of a few explosives. REALLY?! That's what's going to stop you from trying to kill me?! Stranger, you are more pathetic than I could ever take you for."

The Stranger gritted his teeth in anger as he slowly began to open his eyes. He could feel strength building back up in his body as he rocked back in forth to sit up straight.

"Stranger, you say you're a hero, right? Well I can't say I agree with you if you're just going to sit on your ass all day. You want to prove that you can still fight, that you think you have the absolute guts to take me on?! WELL WHY DON'T YOU SHOW ME?!"

The Stranger's eyes were beginning to open, and his arms and legs began to regain strength. As his vision restored clarity, he could see he was no longer in the white room, but rather… outside…

"That's right, Stranger, you get your ass up here! I did not sit all this time just to watch you squirm in front of me. I want to fight the real deal, to have a real meeting with this 'heroic' figure you tout yourself to be. I'm waiting, Stranger, and you better not keep your sweet ass time getting up here. Let's finish this fight today, Stranger, you and me!"

The voice of the mad man left the Stranger, and, with all of his remaining strength, opened his eyes and lifted himself upwards, and was shocked to see where he was.

While smoke covered around his entire proximity, the Stranger noticed through his blurred vision that he was laying in front of the gates of the tower, still on top of the hill in the center of the No Man's Land.

The Stranger grabbed onto his sides as he looked down and noticed that the shockwave from the grenade did serious damage to his vest, completely shredding it apart, along with his other clothes receiving major damage. His own body was also affected, especially his back, which felt like it was completely broken.

He cringed in pain as he breathed heavily, trying to stay alive after cheating death once more. The Stranger, slowly getting his vision back, looked around him through the thick smoke and heavy rain, trying to see anything, or anyone else, was around.

He then remembered two important figures, and swiftly turned his head left, only to see a blank space of land in front of him.

"Flippy…"

The Stranger could not explain were the body of Flippy went as he spoke quietly, and was worried if something bad might have happened to him. He then opened his eyes widely as a name of an even more significant person came to mind.

"Flaky!"

He turned his head right and was instantly greeted with the sight of a red porcupine, laying on her backside with her head facing left, directly towards the Stranger.

The Stranger breathed rapidly as he stared at the cold face of Flaky. He didn't notice any sign of breathing, and her body looked completely limp. Her eyes were closed and her body laid open in the rain, not reacting to the heavy drops.

"N-No… no…"

The Stranger began to drop a tear from his eye as he saw his closest friend lie dead next to him. He started to whimper slowly, and closed his eyes in sheer sadness.

Everything then stopped as the Stranger perked his ears up from the sound of a heavy footstep coming from nearby. He opened his eyes instantly and looked in front of him, towards the open gates of the tower. The Stranger still could only see thick grey smoke surrounding him, but upon closer inspection, his heart began to pound out of his chest and he gasped in horror.

Through the thick and dense smoke, the Stranger could see the horrific sight of Evil's emerald eyes, glowing straight through the smoke like a pair of headlights. As the Stranger sat still, he noticed Evil walking ever so closer to his position, and could tell he was looking directly at him.

The Stranger patted his vest and pockets for his knife and gun, but could not grip on either one. He then looked up and noticed he dropped his gun just a few feet away from him, still loaded with a fresh magazine and ready to fire. He just had to get up and grab it and he would be home free.

But when the Stranger tried to run and get up, his legs were still incredibly weak from the explosion, and did not have the strength to stand up. He tripped over onto his stomach, and looked up to see Evil walking towards him faster, now possible to see the outline of his dark figure.

The Stranger breathed heavily and stared at the run lying in front of him, and balled up his hands into fists as he slowly crawled across the muddy ground. He stretched out his right arm as far as he could, and used all of his upper body strength to pull himself up. He repeated the motion with his left arm, then his right again, and continued with each motion while getting ever so closer to his weapon.

Now just in arms reach away, the Stranger reached out his right hand and dropped it on the handle of the pistol, grasping it tightly and readying himself to pull the trigger.

He then closed his eyes and cried in pain as Evil stomped on his right hand over the pistol, nearly crushing the bones of his fingers as his heavy boots were grinding against him slowly. Tears ran down the face of the Stranger as he pounded his left hand on Evil's foot, but was helpless overall.

Evil lightly pushed the Stranger away from him with his other foot, kicking him away from the pistol and onto his backside. Evil laughed at his foe be so easily pushed away, not even putting up a worthy fight. As he laid cringing on his back, Evil looked down and noticed the loaded handgun beneath him. A rare weapon he never gets to use, he observed at it curiously as he bent over to pick it up.

The Stranger wiped his face as he looked up to see Evil picking up the handgun with his right hand, and looking down the sights of it like it were a toy. The Stranger started to breath heavily in fear as he watched Evil happily enjoy the handgun be held in his hand, almost like it was a new gift he had just open.

He then gasped as Evil stood perfectly still and slowly lowered his head to face a scared Stranger. Evil shook his head while making a 'tsk' noise with his mouth. The Stranger kept his eyes on the handgun, now in the hands of a deadly monster, which Evil happened to notice. Evil looked back at his new weapon again and arranged his razor teeth to form an evil smile that sent the Stranger into complete shock.

The Stranger lied perfectly still when Evil brought the handgun up and aimed the barrel straight at the Stranger's head. Evil brought his right index finger away from the trigger guard and lay gently on the trigger itself, enough to not fire off the round.

The Stranger had no idea how to react now. He had nothing to defend himself with, and Evil was the one with the gun now. There was no way he was going to win this. So, instead of facing death cowardly and closing his eyes to accept it, he stared only into the emerald gold eyes of Evil.

He gritted his teeth and spoke angrily through his teeth. "That's it, kill me… pull the fucking trigger and kill me… do it… DO IT!"

The Stranger yelled loudly as he pushed himself up while still sitting, not taking his eyes away from Evil. Evil chuckled lightly at the Stranger's acceptance of death and willing to face it head on, which mad him enjoy killing him even more.

Evil slowly began to pull the trigger while aiming the barrel at the Stranger's head, who sat only five feet from him. The Stranger dare not to blink or look away, and watched Evil prepare to end his life.

Evil then brought his finger away from the trigger, and the Stranger was brought to attention as the two both heard a sudden sound out of nowhere. They both stayed in their positions, looking around them to see where the sound was coming from.

The sound occurred a second time, and the two could easily identify it. It was the sound of someone coughing, and it sounded heavy and sickly as well. Evil, while keeping his pistol on the Stranger, looked around all over him, yet was unable to find the source of the coughing.

The Stranger then looked behind the standing body of Evil and noticed the body of Flaky still lying flat on the ground. He stared quietly at her body, completely curious about where the coughing was also coming from.

He dropped his jaw as he saw Flaky cough once more and was slowly twitching her eyes and nose. The Stranger then noticed her stomach was moving up and down in a steady motion, showing she was still alive and breathing.

He was smiling widely in his mind to see his friend still okay, surviving the explosion along with him. But then he looked up to see Evil staring at him, the gun still aimed at his head. Evil looked a little curious as to what the Stranger was possibly looking at, and decided to turn around and notice for himself the weak red body of Flaky.

The Stranger did not know what was going on as Evil only watched Flaky rest on the ground, coughing once more and twitching her body as she was beginning to wake up. He then watched Evil slowly turn around and face the Stranger, with no expression being made; just a silent glare.

The two only looked at each other in silence, trying to read each other's minds. Evil then lowered the handgun and aimed the barrel away from the Stranger. He kept eye contact on him, still only giving him a silent glare.

The Stranger watched how Evil brought his left hand into his dark chest to summon out a sharp and dark blade, oozing with the blood of thousands of innocent souls. The Stranger's heart began to pump blood at a faster rate and his eyes started to dart around, the worst of his fears clogging his minds.

He brought his eyes back to Flaky, then back to Evil, and repeated this motion a few more time before stopping at Evil, who was now forming a terrifying smile at him. The Stranger shook his head violently and whimpered quietly while staring at Evil, who slowly began to twist his feet sideways.

"N-No… p-p-please, no… k-kill me, just KILL ME! PLEASE, JUST KILL…"

Evil nodded his head towards the Stranger, and made an about face to start walking towards the limp body of Flaky.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

The Stranger jumped up to his feet and collapsed instantly after the first step, falling hard onto the ground. He landed face-first, and pushed himself up instantly onto his hands and knees. The Stranger frantically looked up to see Evil slowly march over to Flaky, who was innocently laying on the ground without knowing either of their presences.

The Stranger crawled on his hands and knees as fast as he could, getting up a few times before collapsing onto the muddy floor again. He inhaled a large sum of oxygen and burst out in anger and fear.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER, YOU BASTARD! DON'T-"

Evil, annoyed by the Stranger's outburst, turned around and kicked him in the jaw with his right foot, knocking him down onto the ground hard. The Stranger grabbed onto his jaw, almost shattered from the heavy kick from Evil's sturdy boots. He could feel blood dripping out of his mouth, and pushed himself up as fast as he could.

He looked over and notice Evil was almost directly over Flaky. Hoping there was still a chance, the Stranger yelled loudly to Flaky's limp body. "FLAKY, RUN! Flaky, run, now!"

Flaky slowly opened her eyes at the sound of the Stranger calling her name. She was a little shock to see the Stranger heavily wounded and lying on the ground away from her, and why she was lying on the muddy ground, still pulling a blank after the explosion.

Flaky shrieked in horror, though, when she looked up to see the haunting face of Evil, looking down at her with his emerald eyes and sharp teeth. She instantly attempted to crawl away, but was grabbed by the top of her head after Evil placed the handgun in his pocket. Evil hoisted Flaky up with a tight grip on her head, and squeezed her skull with immense force, almost cracking the hard bone that protected her brain.

The Stranger stared helplessly as Evil brutally harmed Flaky by crushing her skull with his hand, and throwing her hard onto the dirty ground, making her scream in pain and horror. Flaky cried loudly as Evil kicked her in the abdomen repeatedly, and multiple times picking her up again and jabbing her in the face with his free fist, sending her down onto the ground once more.

Still crawling slowly to her, the Stranger yelled as loud as he could in a fit of rage. "STOP IT! PLEASE, JUST STOP HURTING HER!"

Evil, after hearing the Stranger's command, dropped Flaky to the ground once more, her body and voice now lying completely silent on the cold and wet ground. The dark shadow imitation of Evil stood over Flaky like prey, and chuckled lightly as he heard the Stranger continued to crawl forward towards him.

The Stranger paused in his movements as he watched Evil pick up Flaky once more, who was no longer making a single sound as her body was practically dead from all the heavy beatings she'd received. Evil raised her up and laid her heavily on her knees, making her face forward at the horrific sight of a scared and helpless Stranger.

The Stranger shook his head violently as Evil slowly brought his knife behind the back of Flaky, keep his eyes on the Stranger with every move he got closer to her. Flaky's eyes were closed and her body limp, not moving a single inch as Evil's knife began to touch her back.

The Stranger reached his hand out and whimpered in fear. "N-N-No… please… p-please, no…"

The Stranger's heart stop as he saw Flaky's eyes open slowly, the slits barely opened enough to show the crimson color of her eyes. She stared at the Stranger, who was reaching her hand out to her. If she reached out her own, their fingertips would meet each other's.

She lacked any strength whatsoever to move her body in any form. Flaky, however, did have enough strength to do one last thing she wanted to do for him, before any of this ever occurred.

Flaky slowly formed a smile on her face, and spoke softly in a weak and quiet voice.

"Thank… you…"

And with her final words said, Evil jammed his knife into Flaky's back, piercing her heart and ripping it open, killing her in an instant.

"FLAKY!"

Evil twisted his knife inside the back of Flaky, cutting up the internal organs and cracking her spine, making sure her death was both painful and confirmed. He held his knife forward, and with the use of gravity, let her body slide off his knife, and falling onto her side on the ground beneath him.

Evil laughed at his easy kill, and brought the knife up to his tongue to lick the fresh and warm blood that was stuck again the cold dark blade. Seeing him perform such a twisted, the Stranger instantly gained the strength to get back up onto his feet and stood strong in front of Evil.

"You twisted, motherfucking piece of-"

Seeing that the Stranger was still alive, Evil placed his blade away and pulled out the pistol from earlier, aiming it downrange at the Stranger once more.

The Stranger stood perfectly still, staring at the eyes of Evil without fear. "DO IT! KILL ME NOW AND END IT! FUCKING PULL THE TRIGGER!"

Evil smiled and shrugged his shoulders with a laugh, and aimed the barrel over the Stranger's head. He slowly pulled the trigger, and a round was shot out, hitting the Stranger and sending him down to the ground.

His body went limp, sound was absent, and his mind completely dead of activity. The Stranger hit the muddy ground with a heavy thud, landing hard against his left right side before rolling onto his back. His eyes stayed wide open as they looked towards the dark clouds rolling above him, and lied silently as the rain felled onto him.

The Stranger blinked slowly, his eyes heavy and they slowly looked around the sky above him. The sound in his ears was nothing but a loud ringing noise, piercing the inside of his skull and making him cringe in agonizing pain. He felt cold for a brief moment before noticing his body heat rising up again.

He then felt something running down the right side of his head, and brought his hand up to examine what was there. The Stranger was confused as he felt a gaping hole where his right ear used to be, along with large sums of sticky blood oozing out of the open wound.

The Stranger finally realized that, after noticing sound was not picking up from his right side, the bullet from the handgun only shot off his right ear, just grazing him from his forehead. Miraculously, the Stranger literally dodged a bullet and survived, though now laying in pain with blood running from his head.

He was baffled by how he could possibly have survived. Evil was right up to his face, the handgun close enough to blow the top of his skull clean off. How could Evil possibly miss such a shot? The Stranger, still wondering what happened, pushed himself upwards to see a shocking sight.

Evil was struggling with the handgun as he was locked in a hold with Flippy, the two bears fighting each other fearlessly to the death. Evil tried to aim the gun at Flippy, shooting off a few rounds in the air but missing each one, while Flippy constantly kept him in a choke hold, forcing Evil to drop the gun onto the ground.

Doing his best to snap the neck of his enemy, Flippy's face was met with the left elbow of Evil, smashing his nose and breaking the hold between them. Evil swiftly turned around and grabbed hold onto Flippy's neck, preparing to send him into the same hold. Flippy countered by bringing his hands back to Evil's neck, and the two struggled until they rolled onto the ground, ignoring everything else and taking the fight far away from the Stranger.

The Stranger kept his right hand on his ear, covering the open wound and holding in as much blood as possible. He sat himself up straight as noise slowly picked up in clarity in his intact left ear, and slowly shook his head due to his mind thumping hard from the massive impact falling onto the ground.

Rubbing his forehead, he looked down to see the handgun just in front of his feet, and quickly reached over to grasp in his right hand. He held it tightly, and examined the barrel to still see a small trail of smoke emitting out after firing the bullet. The Stranger placed the gun back into his holster, and sat still briefly in a blank state of thought.

His eyes widen and gasped as he remembered what happened before the gun was fired. The Stranger did not want to look up and see the sight; he did not want to admit it was true or that it actually happened; he did not want to accept it as reality. He closed his eyes tightly, shedding a small tear down his face, before looking up to see the body that laid before him.

The lifeless body of Flaky.

"Flaky… FLAKY!"

The Stranger got on his hands and knees and crawled over to the body of Flaky. He stood over her body, his hands shaking violently as he breathed rapidly. His eyes darted around as he examined her body. There was no sign of breathing, and the giant hole on her back was gushing out blood, and was easily shown that it was deep inside her.

"No… no, no, no, no, no…"

He brought his hands down to her body, still shaking violently to the point that they could break. The Stranger placed his right hand over her shoulder, and, with his left hand covering her back side, leaned her over so she could lay onto his hand and look directly him…

But it was hopeless. Flaky's eyes were shut tight, her mouth slightly hanging, and her stomach lying flat. The rain felled onto her, but her body never moved an inch. Her body was slowly turning cold in his hands, and her arms hanged as the Stranger held her up.

There was no denying it now. He had to accept the sad reality of what laid before him, what lied directly in his hands.

Flaky was dead.

"No… no, please Flaky, don't do this to me… don't do this to me now, not when we're so close… we're so close to home now, Flaky… please… PLEASE, don't… don't…"

The Stranger cried softly as he stared at the lifeless face of Flaky. He slowly brought her body up to him as he wrapped his arms around her body, holding her tightly against his shaking body. His head laid gently against hers, and his tears ran down his face to fall onto her body and the ground beneath them.

The Stranger shook his head and rock back and forth, holding Flaky's body next to him to feel the remaining warmth of her, and was crying loudly, his tears dropping down his face like a river.

"I promised I'd protect you, Flaky! I-I promised that I would not let anything hurt you! You and I were supposed to make it out together, because I was always going to protect you…"

The thought of him not keeping his promise to Flaky was killing his heart. He felt weak, hopeless, and without purpose. He felt lost, empty…

Alone.

He did everything he could do to protect her.

And he failed.

_I will do everything in my power to get you and everyone else home_

The Stranger's own voice rang in his head. The day at the park, he solemnly promised to Flaky he would do everything he could to protect her and everyone in Happy Tree Town. That was the first part of his promise.

He realized, though, he also promised to get everyone home, away from the hellish world they currently reside in and back to their original lives, just as it was always meant to be.

The Stranger looked upward, still holding onto Flaky tightly, and wiped the tears away from his eyes with his right shoulder to see the smoke had finally cleared, and revealed that the gates to the tower were still open. The bright light from the inside was still shining, and access was still granted to any survivor that could step on its metallic floors.

He looked around him, then at his own body, to see he was still alive. He still had the strength to get up and move.

He still had the strength to fight.

"There's… there's still a chance… a chance to…"

The Stranger stared at the light of the tower for a short time before giving a slow nod to himself, and looked back to the quiet body of Flaky. Hugging her tightly one last time, he gently laid her body on the ground, keeping her backside straight while placing both her hands over her chest. He shed one single tear before wiping it away with his right hand.

The Stranger then got on his right foot while sitting on his left knee, and gave a determined nod to Flaky's body. "Just hold on for a little longer, Flaky okay? Just hold on for me, Flaky… I'm taking you home…" He slowly stood back up to his feet and brought out his pistol, gipping it tightly in his hand as he looked towards the open gates of the tower.

"We're all going home."

Taking a deep breath, the Stranger took a step forward, almost losing his balance completely as he dropped to his left knee again. Cringing and breathing heavily, he pushed himself once more and limped slowly towards the bright light.

His steps were small, and still on occasion would drop to his knees from his weakening strength. But his will to fight, to end it all, was pushing him forward, and he kept his eyes on the open gates as he got back up to his feet.

The Stranger limped forward again, and was on the equal level of ground between the outside and the entrance of the tower. He could feel the cold air blowing out from inside the building, and kept his left hand up to shield his eyes from the blinding light.

He took one step forward, and noticed that the sound he heard from his left ear was the sound of feet hitting against metal, not the crunching sound of grass.

The Stranger made it inside.

"I… I-"

The Stranger was pushed straight forward felled and onto his stomach hard onto the metal floor, his arms stretched far out and dropping his pistol away from him. He hit the bottom of his jaw upon hitting the floor, bruising it significantly. He gritted his teeth in pain as he felt something heavy pressing on top of his back. The Stranger swiftly turned his head and stared in anger at the monster on top of him.

Evil, completely stained in blood from head to toe, his black body replaced with the crimson red blood, was laying on top of the Stranger growling in a fit of rage and showing his sharp teeth, stained and rotted from tearing into the flesh of his kills. His emerald eyes glowed as he neared his face towards the Stranger, and used his right arm to slowly crush his body.

The Stranger could feel his bones beginning to crack from the massive force being placed onto his body, with any addition force proving to be fatal. Knowing he had to get Evil off of him, the Stranger used his left elbow to smash into Evil's face, forcing him off his back. The Stranger rolled onto his back and used his feet to kick Evil away from him, giving him the free space between them.

Evil, though, quickly recovered and jumped back onto the Stranger, this time looking eye to eye. Evil grabbed onto his prey's forehead and whacked it against the metal floor beneath him, causing severe brain trauma to the Stranger. After playing with his kill, Evil brought his hands away from the Stranger and laughed evilly how he was practically dead from the brutal beating.

The Stranger's eyes were half-shut, his brain thumping hard against his skull, and watched Evil quickly reached into his body to pull out his signature dark blade. Evil gave a dark smirk as he licked his knife, still stained with Flaky's blood. Seeing the weapon in his hand, knowing it was the same weapon used to kill his best friend, sent the Stranger into a state of pure anger and hatred, and wanted to use that same knife to gut open Evil.

Evil, though, planned to do the same with the Stranger, and flipped his knife in his right hand to be held in a backhand method. With one forceful swing, Evil drove his knife high in the air and down onto the Stranger, aiming for the soft flesh of his neck.

The Stranger caught Evil's hand as it was merely an inch over his neck, and brought both hands to prevent the knife from driving into his body. Evil brought his left hand to his right, and used all of his strength to kill the Stranger. The two stared into each other's eyes angrily, knowing only one of them was going to make it out of this struggle alive.

Evil already felt victorious, though, as he could see the weakness in the Stranger revealing itself, the Stranger's grasp slowly slipping away. The Stranger knew for certain he lacked the strength to struggle with Evil; there was no way he was going to break from this hold.

Trying to think of a plan, the Stranger looked around his spot, noticing his pistol was out of reach, and his knife still laying somewhere outside. He had nothing to defend himself with, nothing he could use as a weapon to kill Evil. He looked back at Evil, now beginning to look scared, and watched Evil laugh loudly and menacingly as he was close to successfully killing him.

The Stranger's eyes stared at the pointy edge of the blade just hovering over his body, and was scared beyond belief of how he will make it out of this without no one to support him or anything to use. It was hopeless, and was beginning to weaken his grip and let his death come quickly.

His eyes then noticed something on his left arm. With his shirt all tattered and open, the Stranger could see something familiar on his arm.

It was an old scar, a once tiny hole that was caused by a certain red porcupine's quills that were jammed into his body after picking up the body. The Stranger recalled its painful impact into his arm, how it almost broke the bones inside him, cutting deep into the tough skin and flesh of his body. It was indeed a dangerous object.

The Stranger opened his eyes widely and yelled loudly in his head.

"THE QUILL!"

Looking at Evil once more, Evil's face turned into confusion as the Stranger made a small grin on his face while staring straight into his terrifying golden emerald eyes. He was too slow to notice the Stranger had brought his left hand to search his left pocket, and grab hold onto the small yet sharp quill he kept all this time on him.

With as much strength he could place in his arm, the Stranger jammed the red quill into Evil's stomach, making him gasp in and yell in pain as he felt the sharp object pierce his internal organs. Evil dropped the knife away from the Stranger as he felt the quill dive deeper into his body, poking every organ in its path.

The Stranger's rage, though, told him not to stop. He pulled the quill out of Evil's stomach and jammed it once more into him, making him gasp for air and cry out louder. The Stranger did it a third time, then fourth, then fifth, and to the point that he could not stand having Evil lay over him. He pushed Evil forward and off of him, back onto the grassy ground outside the tower.

Feeling like his punishment still was not enough, the Stranger jumped onto a near dead Evil and jammed the red quill all across the torso and neck of Evil. Over and over again, the Stranger shoved the quill deep across Evil's body, piercing every organ and breaking every bone in his body.

As he stabbed the body of Evil, the Stranger was crying in pure anger, screaming loudly as blood was splattering onto his body with every jab with the quill. After fifteen seconds of non-stop beating, the Stranger stabbed Evil one last time in the chest before bringing the quill out, splattering a large sum of blood onto his face.

The Stranger sat up and looked down at the body of Evil. Puncture wounds across his entire body were noticeable, and his body lied limp in the rain. The Stranger agreed to himself that Evil was dead, and was no longer a threat.

The Stranger placed the quill back into his left pocket as he spit on the face of Evil. "That's for Flaky, you little cunt."

Seeing he was now dead, the Stranger stood up and walked away from the body of Evil and went back inside the tower, now standing dry underneath the metallic structure. He looked down and noticed his pistol, and went down to pick it up and place it back in his hands once more.

He ejected the magazine, noticing that there was only one round remaining in the magazine. Wanting to keep a fully loaded weapon, the Stranger swapped it out for a fresh magazine, and loaded the pistol with additional rounds.

"Alright, now all I have to do is… is…"

The Stranger turned around as he heard the sound of groaning behind him. Confused on who is could be, he noticed that Evil's body was wiggling back and forth, and slowly began to rise back up onto his feet.

He could not believe his eyes. Despite all the damage he took, Evil was standing up tall once more, organs hanging out of his stomach and blood dripping everywhere. His appearance could be something comparable to a zombie, but one that was more dangerous than any creature.

As Evil breathed heavily with his emerald eyes glowing in the dark, the Stranger gritted his teeth and yelled in anger. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST FUCKING STAY DEAD?!"

Evil did not respond with words, and instead went into a pouncing position. The Stranger shook his head as he took a few steps back into the building, preparing himself for any incoming attack. He brought his gun up, readied to be fired, as Evil lunged forward at the Stranger.

The Stranger jumped back in shock as, out of nowhere, the open gates of the tower slammed shut, crushing Evil's lower body between the two sliding doors. He gurgled in blood as his body slowly slid downward onto the metal floor, his legs hanging outside in the rain and his remaining body inside, completely immobilized by the heavy steel doors.

Breathing rapidly out of shock, the Stranger watched Evil lay in a puddle of blood and smashed organs in front of him. He then felt an internal flame lit up inside his mind as he noticed Evil was still twitching and moving, his body still active and alive even from being crushed.

Evil struggled to push open the doors that kept him stuck, and was pushing himself forward despite the fact he was only ripping himself in half. He stopped moving as he heard the sound of footsteps walking towards him, and turned around to see the tall body of the Stranger standing over him.

Evil noticed his body was completely ruined and covered in blood, and watched how the Stranger's own eyes were squinted, staring straight into him. He could see the rage and anger within the Stranger, and noticed how his breathing was picking up rapidly and heavily, his body tensing up and looking completely intimidating with his stature over him.

Evil then felt something that he never knew was possible with him. Something that was shown even on his face as he watched the Stranger raise his right boot over him.

Fear.

The Stranger slammed his boot on top of Evil's face, crushing his skull and other facial bones instantly. Blood was splattered everywhere, especially onto the Stranger's boots, and Evil laid lifeless on the metal floor.

But the Stranger's rage shrouded his mind, and, instead of stopping, continued to smash Evil's skull with his boots, jumping up and down over and over again on his head. With every stomp, the Stranger could hear the sound of bones cracking and breaking, and saw Evil's face slowly deform from the brutal beating.

"FUCK. YOU. YOU. LITTLE. PIECE. OF. FUCKING. SHIT. FUCK!"

The Stranger stopped briefly, taking in multiple breaths of air before building up the remaining strength in his right leg to slam onto Evil's head. The final hit was strong enough to completely crush open Evil's skull, sending brain matter and blood everywhere as if it were a tomato.

The Stranger twisted his boots over the smashed brain pieces of Evil, and breathed deeply as he stared at its dead body. After seeing his own friend be killed in front of his eyes, the Stranger felt it was justified for what he did. He did not feel remorse or regret, and felt at peace knowing another piece of evil was now ridden from existence.

He slowly looked up and noticed the metal gates once more, now more concerned than curious from their random appearance. The Stranger brought his hands up to the door and used his strength to pry it open, but was finding no luck in doing so. Looking around, he saw no control panel or anything that managed the security of the door. He was locked inside.

A little worried, the Stranger grabbed his radio and activated the speaker. "Flippy, I made it inside the tower, but the door is shut and I have no way of opening it. Do you have any way of opening it on your end?"

The Stranger received no response, not even static. It was dead silent.

"Flippy? Flippy, are you there?!"

Silence.

The Stranger, out of anger, threw the radio at the wall, breaking it into many pieces. "FUCK!"

The Stranger shook his head and stood in place for a moment, recollecting his thoughts. He realized now what kind of situation he was in. He was trapped in the tower, with no ability to escape. He had only his pistol and wits now to defend and attack.

And he was the only one to make it inside.

The Stranger looked forward and noticed a large and empty room in the center of the tower, completely white with nothing else shown. He looked back down on his right arm to see he was still holding his pistol, gripped tightly in his hands.

"Alright you son of a bitch,"

He pulled back the pistol to insert a fresh round, and stepped forward into the room.

"Let's finish this."


	19. Ch 16: Finish the Fight, Part I

**Chapter 16.1**

**Finish the Fight, Part I**

* * *

It was quiet, cold… and empty inside the large, metallic tower. Amongst the metallic floor that chilled the unprotected flesh of any creature, there was nothing but the feeling of the air inside. No furniture, no decorations, just the emptiness of the color of white was the only thing visible to mortal eyes.

The cold air felt dreadful and depressing, feeling a sense of fear and sadness that overcame the bodies of innocent souls who felt it. The quiet atmosphere felt disheartening and frightful, leaving a sense of loneliness to the mind.

And the overall emptiness of the large structure only proved that any person inside was just a mere speck compared to its powerful appearance. Once inside, a person could only feel lost, having no one by their side to protect them.

The Stranger, though, did not let any of the tower's attributes affect him. No, instead, he used it to fuel his anger and hatred even more. The negatives of the tower became his strength to push forward with every limping step, power to progress and never stop, fuel to end it once and for all.

His mind and body was completely shrouded with the effects of war. The Stranger's own body was littered with mud and a mixture of wet and dry blood; his grey body used as a canvas to be painted in a dark crimson red. Pieces of organs and large trails of blood covered his face and the entirety of his body, practically soaking in the sticky and dry blood of hundreds of lives he murdered with his own hands. His own wounds, the scars of the past, and his right ear, which was blown clean off, where showing their marks, horrifying to the eyes.

The Stranger's clothing, destroyed and beyond repair. His pants, stained with mud and soaked in water, was ripped open in multiple areas, leaving small visible areas of his fur. His vest was all but wearable, barely hanging over his shoulders by his shoulders. His wool cap was missing out in the field, and his long shirt tattered. His most fearsome look, though, was his brown boots, now dark red underneath while leaving bloody footprints and pieces of brain matter in his tracks.

The stability and sanity of the Stranger's mind was by no means safe. His breaths were heavy from exhaustion and anger, his eyes staring blankly in front of him, his arms hanging downwards, and his legs slowly limping with each step. He did not concentrate on the fact he was alone, or the cold air, or the emptiness of the room.

After fighting for months on end, seeing everyone he knows and loves dying in front of him, along with his dearest and most trusted friend, and the countless kills he has made by his own hand, the Stranger's rage-filled mind had only one thing to focus on.

"Kill… end it… forever…"

After multiple heavy steps, the Stranger made it to the center of the huge room. He looked around his environment, and could not make out much of what he saw.

The room was nothing but the color of white, with a slightly-grey metallic floor underneath his feet. The first room had the appearance of taking up the majority of the tower, as the Stranger looked up to see no other floors above him, at least nowhere near him.

The only object of interest the Stranger could point out was a lone cylinder elevator at the end of the room, small enough to house only one occupant. His eyes followed up the clear tube it would travel up, and noticed it could possibly go on forever. The Stranger knew, though, that this elevator was his one-way ticket to his destination, and was willing to take the ride.

Pausing for a brief moment to think and calm his mind, the Stranger nodded to himself and stepped forward to the control panel next to the elevator. Seeing that the doors were closed, he looked over at the panel and noticed only one button he could press.

"**_UP_**"

A little suspicious of the lone button, the Stranger shrugged his shoulders and pressed his left thumb on the button, hearing a silent '_click_' sound upon activation. The button lit up in a dull-looking yellow light, and stayed lit for over three minutes.

The Stranger, tapping his feet repeatedly on the metal floor, was feeling agitated over the long wait for the elevator to show up, gritting his teeth and gripping his gun tightly. All he wanted to do was kill the man responsible for all the deaths he witnessed, and was feeling quite impatient with the wait.

"Oh for God's sake, where the hell is the-"

A sudden bang, followed by a violent vibration, was made, the Stranger shaking and doing his best to hold his ground. He turned his head around to see an oversized metal door blocking the way towards the exit corridor, completely impenetrable. A little shaken by its appearance, the Stranger ran forward a bit to investigate.

He then looked behind him to see the elevator door be wrapped up by a second metallic layer, completely restricting any access to its doors. Breathing rapidly, the Stranger looked back and forth in his position to see he was locked in securely, leaving him completely stuck inside the large circular room.

"Damn it; it's a trap!" The Stranger lifted his gun up and looked around with his peripheral vision to check his sides. "Come on, you son of a bitch, show yourself! Stop hiding and fight me now!"

_Ah yes Stranger, I would surely love to fight you right now and get this over with, but I'm a little tired right now and need my rest. But I see you are indeed very eager for a fight, and to prepare yourself for our little meeting, I've set up a little warmup exercise with a couple of my friends._

The room suddenly became shrouded in darkness, a large cloud of dark smoke surrounding the Stranger's position. The Stranger looked around to see nothing but the dark and smoke surrounding him and, upon closer inspection, could hear the violent cries of a familiar threat.

_I say, Stranger, I think we've been in a position like this before, haven't we? Though now, it's a little more… real."_

The smoke cleared away, and the Stranger tensed up his body when he noticed dozens of Shadows, dawning a variety of weapons and armor and looking directly at him, holding up their weapons and showing their dark and bloody teeth. Their crimson eyes kept their focus on the Stranger.

The Stranger went down into a defensive pose and slowly looked around his compromised position, making sure to identify every Shadow around him.

_I hope you prepared yourself, Stranger, because, as I said, I can do anything. Now… go off and have FUN!_

The mad man left the Stranger's mind and left him alone in the darkness, surround by a vicious enemy who's only goal is to stop him right here, right now. Before he could move any further, he had to fight them.

And he must do it all on his own.

Looking around his spot one last time, the Stranger could see the Shadows slowly walking as a group towards him, holding up their weapons, consisting of swords, axes, maces and spears, and ready to attack at any moment.

The Stranger looked down at his feet blankly, his mind shutting off for a brief time. He emptied all of his thoughts and emotions, and inhaled a large sum of oxygen to fill up his lungs. He then proceeded place his pistol in his back jean pocket before removing both his ruined vest and shirt.

The Shadows stopped and observed the Stranger removing his top half of his clothes and dropping them hard onto the floor. He stood half-naked, wearing only his pants and boots now. His face continued to look down only at his feet, his eyes completely blank and lacking emotion.

His enemy jumped a little when he suddenly looked up in an instant, staring at a sole Shadow with a sword in front of him. The Stranger stared and examined his enemy for a moment, and slowly entered a defensive stance, holding both his fist up while having his left leg a step behind him.

He took one deep breath and nodded his head toward the Shadow.

"You want to fight me? Okay then… come and fight me."

The lone Shadow looked around his comrades, and they all snickered as they gestured him to run forward and attack. The Shadow shrugged his shoulders and laughed at the Stranger, standing perfectly still while looking at him, holding nothing to defend himself with.

Knowing he was going to enjoy his kill, the Shadow yelled in a loud battle cry as he grasped the handle of his sword with both hands and charged forward, holding the sword upward and readying himself for a downward swing.

The Stranger dared not to look away at the incoming danger, watching it take a step closer every half-second. His eyes stayed open, looking at the long, dark sword that could certainly cut through the flesh and bone of any living creature. If he were to be even jabbed by the edge of that sword, it would be all over.

He grunted silently as he closed his eyes, letting his left ear catch the heavy clanging of footsteps getting ever so closer to him. The Stranger waited, and waited, and waited, and continued waiting until he knew it was time…

…

The Stranger flashed open his eyes and slid to the left as the Shadow swung his sword down, just missing the Stranger by not even a recorded millimeter. A small tuft of fur on the Stranger's head was sliced off, the only thing the sword successfully came in contact with.

Time slowed down as the Shadow's eyes opened widely in shock of the Stranger's fast movement, and was caught off guard as the Stranger kicked the back of his right leg, sending him down to his knee. The Stranger swiftly came back to grab his throat with his right arm and, with a sudden twist, snapped the Shadow's neck instantly.

The watching Shadows gasped at how one of their comrades were killed in an instant, and noticed the Stranger throwing his body on the ground while throwing the sword up in the air, catching it by the handle and entering an offensive position, the sword held up high and pointed forward.

The Shadows gritted their teeth and growled in anger as the Stranger smiled devilishly and nodded his head.

"Come on, let's party!"

The Shadows all cried out loud and charged forward, their weapons raised and their bodies ready for war.

The Stranger ran forward to the Shadows on his front side, ignoring the fact he was surrounded on all fronts. He gritted his teeth and breathed heavily in anger as he charged forth into the crowd of his enemy.

One of the Shadows with a small axe jumped upwards in the air, ready to swing down with the sharp edge of his axe. Seeing his opponent in the air, the Stranger used whatever strength he had in his legs to jump upward, and, with a massive upward side-swing, slit open the stomach of the Shadow, killing him in mid-air.

As the Shadow spewed out blood from his mouth, the Stranger spun his sword to face the blade down, and shoved it down the head of unsuspecting Shadow. Jammed tightly into his skull, the Stranger used his feet to push him and his sword off, bringing the head of the Shadow clean off and dropping onto the floor.

Without even looking behind him, the Stranger did a 180-degree spin with his sword, slicing open three other Shadows and dropping them dead, their blood splattering all over the dark floor and onto his body.

The Stranger yelled loudly as he swung his sword left and right, anger fueling the strength in his arms. "Is that all you got you fuckers?! Fight harder!"

A Shadow, aggravated with his insult, caught the Stranger by surprise as he was busy dealing with another Shadow with a hammer, shoving his sword deep into his chest. The sneaky Shadow used his small dagger to jump onto the back of the Stranger and jam his tiny sword into his right shoulder, just missing the bone and cracking it open.

The Stranger cried out in pain, but kept an evil smile on his face. "That's right, hit me back! Hit me back harder you bastards!"

The Shadow opened his eyes widely as the Stranger leaned forward quickly, throwing the Shadow off his back and bringing his dagger with him. The Stranger, seeing his little assassin beneath him, smashed his face in with his boot, cracking open his face and killing him instantly.

With blood and gore smashing across the dark ground beneath him, the Stranger flipped his sword to be held in a backhand method, and stabbed the Shadow behind him without batting an eye. He spun around swiftly and used his strength to push the sword upward, cutting the Shadow in half from top to bottom, opening up his organs and squirting blood on the ground.

A Shadow with a war-hammer ran forward to smash his weapon into the Stranger's skull like of soft fruit. Timing his defense just right, the Stranger raised and held up his sword sideways, blocking the incoming blow. Struggling in a hold for a brief moment, the Stranger tilted his sword to the side to let the Shadow's hammer slide off, leaving an opening for a strike.

The Stranger, taking the opening into account, performed an upward swing, slicing the Shadow's arm off and removing his use of his hammer. As the Shadow screamed in pain, the Stranger slammed his fist onto his stomach, literally pushing the air out of his lungs and collapsing him to his knees.

Sliding around to his back side fast while swinging his sword to the right side, cutting the head off another Shadow, the Stranger used his left hand to grab the down Shadow's forehead and looked into his crying eyes.

"Didn't your parents tell you not to mess with strangers?! Because this is what happens when you mess with strangers!"

The Stranger raised his sword high in the air and shoved the blade down the open mouth of the screaming Shadow, piercing through his throat and into his torso. Jamming it inside tightly, the Stranger released his sword and let the body fall and choke on its own blood.

The remaining Shadows were beginning to watch in fear as the Stranger became more violent and enraged during the duration of the fight. Only one Shadow successfully laid a blow on him, and it barely affected him.

One Shadow, though, remained unfazed by the Stranger's violent act and threw his axe towards him, aiming dead center of his face. Without looking, the Stranger quickly stepped to the side and grabbed the throwing axe by its handle, practically being given another weapon by his enemy.

The Shadow's eyes open widely in fear as the Stranger flipped his axe around to be held correctly, and swung violently left and right to the crowd in front of him. Even with their best efforts to deflect the blows, the Stranger was cutting open the Shadows without difficulty, pulling out their organs and painting the dark ground in crimson red.

Seeing how getting close to him was not an option, one Shadow with a spear pointed his weapon forward and charged with a battle cry, ready to shove his pointy weapon through the heart of the Stranger. Turning instantly in surprise, the Stranger kept his eyes on the flimsy looking spear, and judged the distance between him and the pointy edge.

Nodding his head determinedly, the Stranger slung his axe upward and split the spear in two, removing the pointy edge from its handle. As the Shadow saw his own weapon be destroyed, the Stranger slammed his axe into the Shadow's shoulder, making him shriek in pain and dropped to his knees, placing both his hands over the axe to make a futile attempt to pull it out.

The Stranger jumped up and grabbed the broken end of the spear, holding it by the remaining half of the weak wood. With the small spear in his hand, the Stranger used his right elbow to hit the back of the down Shadow's head, knocking him down to his hands in knees.

He got into a charging pose and looked at the down body of the Shadow.

"You've been killing innocent lives for years. Let's see how you feel being on the other end of the stick!

Using his anger to fuel the strength in his arms, the Stranger shoved the spear up the rear end of the Shadow, pushing the blade up his rectum and laying unimaginable pain onto his body. The Shadow screamed loudly in agonizing pain, and collapsed in shock before shortly dying afterwards.

Looking up and breathing heavily from the intense battle, the Stranger noticed only two more opponents remaining: one small Shadow holding only a small dagger, and a much larger one wielding a massive flail. The smaller Shadow was quivering in fear at the sight of his fellow soldiers be killed in front of his eyes, and retreated behind the larger Shadow for protection.

Placing his hands outward to his sides and having one leg placed behind him, the Stranger watching the large Shadow swing his flail in circles high above him, making the heavy, spiky metal ball spin at intense speeds. The Shadow then stopped and used the built up momentum to bring the metal ball downward, the force enough to crush any skeletal body.

Jumping back quickly, the Stranger barely dodged the metal ball as it smashed directly in front of him, creating a massive shockwave on the ground while leaving a deep dent on the metal floor. The Stranger noticed the Shadow swung his flail too hard, and his weapon was now stuck onto the floor.

Seeing his opportunity to strike, the Stranger looked down to see the old smashed body of the Shadow with a dagger, and quickly bent down to pick up the tiny weapon before running towards the large metal ball. The Stranger placed his left foot over the large ball, and jumped forward to grab hold onto the large Shadow's tough body.

The Shadow let go of his weapon and was frantically swinging his body around as the Stranger climbed behind his torso to hold onto his back, slowly moving himself up to his large head. Gritting his teeth tightly, the Stranger placed his dagger in a backhand position and jammed it deep into the top of the Shadow's head, piercing through his thick skull and slicing open his brain.

The Shadow died instantly while still standing, and gravity brought its dead body to fall onto the ground hard. The Stranger jumped off just before it felled, landing on his right foot and left knee.

The Stranger kept his eyes closed as he breathed rapidly, trying to relax his body after killing so many Shadows in a single setting. He paused and swallowed his throat, and was surprised when he noticed a strange sound.

Silence. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked up and notice a large pile of dead Shadows in the center of the room, either cut open with their organs shoved out of them or bleeding out across the floor. Blood was painted onto the darkness of the ground, turning the entire room into a crimson red, both their bodies and the environment.

The Stranger slowly stood back up as he kept his eyes on the dead bodies he caused. They were already beginning to leave the stench of death, and their blood continued to trail off and flood the room.

He tightened his fists and yelled loudly in the room, his voice echoing as he spoke.

"Anyone of you assholes still want to fight?! HUH?!"

The Stranger heard a whimpering cry and instantly turned around to see a Shadow with a small dagger in its hands. The Shadow, though, appeared too scared to fight, and instead was cowering away from the fight. He gasped as he saw the Stranger march towards him, and dropped his weapon beneath his feet to show he was surrendering.

The Shadow shrieked in fear as the Stranger grabbed him by the throat tightly, crushing the bones around his neck. As the Shadow was choking on the tight hold from the Stranger, he attempted to speak through his gasps for air.

"Please… don't… kill… me…"

The Stranger stood surprised by the Shadow's plea for mercy, and smiled widely at him. He gently laid the Shadow to sit on the ground, and gave him a reassuring nod.

"Kill you? Why would I kill you? You didn't do anything wrong; you're just an innocent person aren't you?"

The Shadow smiled nervously and nodded his head quickly. He dropped his smile when he noticed the Stranger turned his face back to anger again.

"But… those Tree Friends… they were innocent people too, yet you and that mad man killed them for over a decade. What did they do to deserve it? They were innocent, yet you still went and killed them."

The Shadow was breathing rapidly in fear as the Stranger brought his face closer to his.

"You know what, though? I won't kill you… in fact, why don't I feed you instead?"

The Shadow tilted his head in confusion and watched as the Stranger reached to his pocket to reach for something. He gasped and shook in utter horror as the Stranger pulled out a grenade from his pocket, and instantly pulled the pin without thinking.

"Open wide!"

Screaming at the top of his lungs, the Shadow was force-fed an active grenade down his mouth, and the Stranger flung his body into the dead pile of Shadows. The Stranger counted to three to himself, and watched the pile of dead bodies explode violently, their organs and limbs flying across the room, some pieces even landing onto the Stranger's body.

Without blinking an eye, the Stranger watched how the large pile of dead bodies instantly disappear into a pile of exploded organs. Noticing a little piece of brain matter stuck to his cheek, he flicked it off with his right thumb and snorted silently.

The darkness slowly faded away, and the white room reappeared once more. The Stranger looked around to see he was back to where he started. His left ear caught the sound of the elevator door, and looked over to see the metal covering sliding away, with the door now opening to reveal an accessible elevator.

The Stranger looked up and down the elevator tube once more, and nodded his head to himself. His ride to the mad man was now available. The fight was finally going to be put to an end.

He reached into his left pocket and pulled out Flaky's quill, and observed it for a short time. A tear dropped from his left eye as he gripped it tightly, whispering silently to himself as he held it.

"Just hold on for a little while longer, Flaky. We're going home."

The Stranger placed the quill back into his pocket and reached for his pistol once more. Making absolutely sure it was loaded and ready to fire, he moved towards the elevator and walked inside the small space. He looked over at the control panel, and noticed only two buttons that could be pressed.

**_Up _**and **_Down_**

Instantly pressing the _'Up' _button, the Stranger watched the elevator door close, and was swiftly being brought up to the top door. The clear frame allowed the Stranger to look below and see the large room beneath him, observing the destruction and death that now laid there.

The Stranger placed his head against the glass and thought deeply what he just did. He didn't enjoy what he did, nor did he like the way he was acting. He felt sick during the entirety of the fight, including the war that took outside. But he had no choice; he had to kill if he wanted to fix everything. And these were all spawn of a mad man, who he knew deserved to die.

He did not regret what he did, nor what he was going to do.

* * *

It was only a few seconds that felt like multiple hours before the Stranger was taken to the top floor. With a loud '_ding_' sound, the glass door opened, and the Stranger looked up to see a long and open corridor. It was spacious and lacked any decoration, similar to the room beneath him as it was also painted white.

Taking a few steps forward, the Stranger listened to his boots hitting against the floor. Unlike the metallic floor in the first room, this floor felt like stepping on a tile floor; hard and solid as his feet echoed with each footstep.

The Stranger walked slowly forward, taking a deep breath with every step. As much as he was prepared to face and kill the mad man, he couldn't help but feel a sense of fear in his heart. He has no clue what this mad man looks like, nor what he is capable of doing in person. This was an insane person that he has never came in contact before, and he had no idea what to do or say when they meet each other eye-to-eye for the first time.

He did, however, know his one and true intention, and was more than willing to carry it out whenever.

"Kill him…"

After a long walk through the corridor, and deep mental thinking, the Stranger found himself standing outside a tall door, the height about twice his own size. Above the door, he could see a glowing sign in bright blue letters, which read '_Administrator's Office_.'

"So… that's what he is called… an Administrator…"

He looked down and noticed the double doors once more. They were partially clear, but had a blurry overlay, making it too hard to see the room on the other side. The Stranger held his gun tightly and placed his left hand on the door.

"This is it… you're one and only shot… make it count… and finish it…"

With one deep breath of his body and his mind set on only one goal, the Stranger jumped through the double doors and held his gun up, ready to shoot the mad man dead and end it once and for all…

…

But there was nothing. The Stranger stood baffled as he looked around the large circular room. Just like everywhere else, the room was practically blank, with nothing but the color of white noticeable. Out of anything he could see, the Stranger could only notice two areas of interests: a set of sliding double-doors on his right with a lit sign above it saying '_Administrative Control Room_' and another door at the opposite side of the room with a sign that said '_Administrator's Master Bedroom._'

The Stranger took a couple of steps forward, slowly making his way to the center of the room. Once there, he looked around curiously, still not seeing anything of importance.

Nor any trace of the mad man.

Aggravated by the silence of the room, the Stranger growled with anger and waved his gun wildly in the air.

"I'm here now, you cocksucker! Show your fucking face!"

For a brief moment, the Stranger could still hear only the eerie sound of silence and the gentle feeling of air inside the cold room. His eyes darted around, carefully looking for the appearance of the mad man.

His left ear perked up and he turned around instantly at the sound of a door sliding open. Breathing rapidly out of sheer shock, the Stranger noticed the bedroom door had opened, yet no one was standing by its entrance, still left with only a blank space.

The Stranger could feel his heart pounding out of his chest when he could hear the heavy footsteps of a person coming from the bedroom door. Every step he heard told the Stranger that someone was getting closer, and that any second someone will appear in front of his own eyes.

He swallowed his throat and made the tightest grip he could make on his pistol. The Stranger doesn't know what exactly could appear from behind the bedroom door, nor what would happen when that person showed himself. He took a step back and kept his grip on his pistol, ready to bring it up at the right moment.

The Stranger dropped his jaw when he could visibly see a pair of old black dress shoes standing from the corner of the door. His breaths picked up in pace and his eyes widened by the second as he stared at the shoes standing perfectly still by the door, not moving an inch.

Then he saw him. With just a few more steps walking out of the door, the Stranger could see the person that he feared the greatest. The creature whom tortured him for months, who enslaved dozens of innocent lives for years, who haunted his dreams, who wields the ultimate powers of a god used only for death and destruction, and the person who deserved death more than anyone else.

Standing just in front of the bedroom door a dozen feet away from him, at a height above six feet tall, dawning a long white lab-coat, dark-blue work pants, old black shoes, and a medium-sized grey beard with thin, dirty and long white hair that laid behind his head and reaching his backside, was an old man, having a tired look on his face.

This was the Mad Man.

The Mad Man yawned deeply, stretching his arms upward in the air while cracking a few bones in his body. "Oh dear, what's all this noise going on about for?" He looked down and noticed the Stranger, shaking violently while staring back at him. "Oh, Stranger, it's you! I was wondering when-"

Too scared and filled with rage to hear him speak, the Stranger brought up his pistol and aimed it over the mad man's head. "Shut the fuck up and keep your hands in the air, you son of a bitch!"

The Mad Man, though not looking shocked at all by the sight of the pistol, kept his arms in the air. "Alright then, Stranger, you're the one with the gun, so I'll listen to you."

The Stranger, while holding his gun up to the Mad Man, was a little shocked by the Mad Man's willingness to accept the Stranger's commands so easily. In truth, the Stranger thought he would instantly start a fight, or be reckless, or disobey, or anything else, but not surrender. The Mad Man didn't even show any signs of fear with the fact that a gun was held up to him, which felt even stranger than ever.

But what shocked the Stranger even more was the Mad Man's height. He completely forgot that he was not in the body of a human, and instead, an anthropomorphic creature, just like the other Tree Friends. The Mad Man, though, was very much human, and his stature showed it. If measured correctly, the Stranger was only about half of the Mad Man's height. Even his gun, retrieved in his world, was puny compared to the Mad Man's hand.

The Stranger shook his head and breathed slowly to calm his aim over the Mad Man. All he wanted to do right now was pull the trigger and kill him instantly, to avenge the deaths of Flaky and all of his friends, to make him pay for all the torture he placed on him. But he had to wait for the right moment, when it was necessary to do so.

The two stared at each other silently, the Mad Man keeping his hands above his head while the Stranger aimed his pistol at him. The Stranger used his peripheral vision to see the _Control Room_, the doors slammed shut. He noticed a keypad by the door, concluding with the idea that was used to open the door.

Squinting his eyes at the Mad Man, he gestured his head to the door. "Open it… now!"

The Mad Man shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the keypad of the door, keeping his hands up while moving as the Stranger kept his gun over his head the entire time. Once by the keypad, the Mad Man slowly lowered his right arm while still leaving his left up, and punched in a few numbers on the panel.

After a few seconds of registering the code punched in, the double doors slid open, revealing a massive room filled with a variety of technology that even the Stranger stood in awe of. The Mad Man turned around to face the Stranger, suspecting a happy smile for his cooperation, but was faced with only the barrel of a gun.

Still keeping his eyes on the Mad Man, the Stranger swiftly pointed his gun to the room and back to him once more. "Move."

"Alright, Stranger, as you say."

The two rivals walked through the entrance to the _Control Room_, and the Stranger gawked at the sight of the room.

It was massive, at least to his small size. It was dark unlike the rest of the building, with the floors and walls having a black metallic look. The walls were littered with mysterious looking machines that were constantly running, their lights blinking and making weird sounds as they performed their scheduled tasks.

What stood out the most, though, was a large screen at the end of the room, one that even stood taller than the Mad Man himself. It laid behind a medium-sized control panel, which featured a much smaller computer beneath it, the Stranger guessing it was the main tool that managed everything that ever occurred in the world.

The Stranger's eyes widened as he examined what was on the large screen. It was littered with so much information that he could not comprehend any of it. From camera positions overlooking the world to lists of processes running simultaneously to keep the virtual world working; from active logs tracking every action to live character analysis reports, the screen was showing everything…

Even his friends.

On the screen, he could see all 21 active Tree Friends who resided in the world, the ones that were being inhabited by human captives. They were placed in rows on two sides of the screen, and displayed life statistics of their condition. Monitors tracking the actual human's heart rate, processes managing in the background, and all private information about them was displayed in bars, along with a photo of their avatar.

One of them he picked out instantly was Flaky, which showed her human self was alive… but a blank line was shown on her character health, showing her life was brought to a close until the next character reset.

The Stranger was saddened with the reminder of her death, but then tilted his head in confusion as he noticed a 22nd character graph on the screen, but lacked a photo of the character, name of the person, or any other information; just a heartrate tracker.

"Is that supposed to be… me?" The Stranger observed the 22nd character monitor for a short time before shaking his head and looking back at the Mad Man, who just stood tall while looking down at the Stranger with an eerie smile.

"The machine… marvelous, isn't it?"

The Stranger gritted his teeth and held his pistol tightly, still holding it over the Mad Man's head. "Did I say you could fucking speak, you asshole?!"

The Mad Man dropped his smile and spoke in a serious tone. "Stranger, you're going to kill me in the end anyway, no matter what I do or say. Why not give this old man one last time to speak, you know, the honorable thing to do? It's not like you know how to work this machine on your own, right?"

The Stranger looked down briefly and thought about what the Mad Man said. This technology greatly surpasses his knowledge, and would, in any way, not be able to work with it on his own. He stomped his foot on the ground hard and looked back up. "Alright… fine, go ahead and say your last words. I don't give a shit anymore."

"Fair enough…" The Mad Man lowered his hands and clasped them together in front of him. "So, Stranger, what would you like to know first?"

"I like to know how I can use it to destroy this hellhole, kill you, and leave forever; how about we start off with that, hmm?"

The Mad Man chuckled softly. "Oh, come on Stranger. Surely you're interested into what this machine is capable of, what is can accomplish. You must admit, that all of this," he gestured his hands across the entirety of the room, "is quite an achievement for one measly old man such as me, right?"

Though not liking it the slightest, the Stranger had to admit it: a virtual world capable of hosting multiple subjects, it is something out of a sci-fi movie, but was now a reality. And all devised by one person, surely that is an achievement worth boasting about.

But he shook his head and returned back to his original intentions. "Okay, fine, it is amazing. But let me ask you a question then: why?"

The Mad Man kept his smile as he nodded slowly. "I thought that'd be your first question. Very well, let me give you the detailed answer." The Mad Man walked slowly around the Stranger, his rival still keeping his gun pointed at his head.

"Even when I was young, I was always the… 'Creative' type, you know, always looking beyond the boundaries of reality, and turning it real. Science was always a field of interest to me, and thus, sci-fi was a big subject that captivated my emotions. The imaginations and creativity people could make, and all it would take is a little knowledge, and what was only a dream before could soon become tangible, something real."

"So, when I grew up, I focused all my life, from sunrise to sunset, on science, technology, and the unimaginable. I wanted to create something that the world could benefit from, something that would entertain the masses with its mere existence. I wanted to surprise the world with what I could do. And thus… the idea of a virtual reality was born.

The Stranger tilted his head. "But virtual reality already is a thing; it's already been done."

"Ah, but on a grand scale such as this, implanting full bodies and emotions into a single, actual size world that could be truly interacted, felt, and experienced? The technology existed, but I saw something that they were only starting small, and made it into something more. And with that technology, and my ambitions, gave rise to my invention: A fully manageable virtual world capable of hosting dozens of life units."

Oddly curious, the Stranger spoke up. "Exactly… how does all of this work?"

"Ah, curious now, aren't we?" The Mad Man laughed lightly as the Stranger groaned angrily. "Well, it's quite simple. Hosting Caskets, up to a maximum of 32 per server, is attached up to one large pillar, which is actually an overcharged supercomputer running billions of processes and rendering programs by the nanosecond. These caskets hold a VR Headset, attached to the cranium, and followed with a large screen at the top of the casket visible to the host."

"Once the Headset is attached, multiple sensors are ran through the host until finally, the machine 'captures' the Host's mental conscious and effectively gives it up to the server, allowing ultimate customization to the administrator, which happens to be," The Mad Man pointed to himself, "yours truly!"

"Once the Host is synched with the server, the administrator is given complete access to the Host's mentality and biological setup. In short, whatever makes a person, I can change it. Language, body structure, history, family, anything, I can either leave him as is or change him radically. Here in the HTF server, I adjusted the body structure to randomize as woodland critters, with the language completely changed and a new universal history completely diverse from the real world."

The Stranger looked dumbfounded as the Mad Man continued to speak. "But, since I wanted this world to be as unique as possible, I needed each subject to be different. Thus, I forced a manual setup on every Host, allowing me to customize their entire attitudes based on their actual human traits. That green bear, he had a past record of PTSD, so I adjusted its severity to an extreme to make him a little… unique. Oh, and the red porcupine, her mind showed shyness on a marginal level, so I brought that to an extreme, causing her to be completely paranoid. In short, every person you see is based on themselves, but pushed to the extreme."

The Stranger gritted his teeth in anger. "So you fucked with their lives to meet your own goals?!"

The Mad Man shrugged. "Eh, more or less. I had to keep things interesting; if I left them as is, they would be boring." The Mad Man looked away from the Stranger's anger and proceeded to walk in circles around him.

"Once everyone had their character setup, the final requirement was to have an Administrator access the terminal within the world itself. Only so much can be done on the outside; the REAL work happens right here, in this very room. Anything that can happen or will ever happen all started here, and all done on that very computer."

The Mad Man pointed to the computer, which the Stranger stared briefly before looking back. "Beyond that point, it's all smooth sailing. The Administrator keeps an eye on the server, make sure it's free of bugs or viruses, checks health levels of the Hosts, etcetera, etcetera, until either a timer ends, ejecting all Hosts, or upon the Administrator's own accord. And with the life support systems built into the pods, Hosts could technically live for decades without aging as long as the server is kept up to date. You'll never have to leave!"

The Mad Man's last sentence only infuriated the Stranger, who started to hold his gun tighter and place his right index finger on the trigger. "No, YOU don't want them to leave, but WE DO! We never asked to be placed in here, nor asked to live this type of life; this was all YOU! We don't want to live in this shit, we want to live our old lives again!"

The Mad Man nodded his head with a smile. "Well… they seemed quite content before your arrival."

"That's because you fucking brainwashed them! You made them believe this was normal, that this shit is real! Not just that, you erase their memories and everything!" The Stranger lowered his gun slightly as he continued to yell. "In fact, tell me, how you accomplished that?! How did you get 21 innocent people to agree and sign up for this shit?!"

The Mad Man weaved his right hand through his beard while pondering an answer. "Well that was simple: once the project was completed, I moved the machines into a secure location far away from city life, just to keep things secluded. I then promoted it at a nearby town, saying that I needed 21 people of different traits to test out a machine that could revolutionize the world, along with a very large compensation for doing so. Hey, money can convince anyone in this world, right?"

"So you scammed them, is that it?!"

"Well I did promise them they get to test out a machine, I didn't say what could happen."

The Stranger, keeping his finger on the trigger, was continuing to be both angered and curious by the Mad Man's story, and had to know more. "So… are you saying I agreed to it, just like them?"

The Mad Man shook his head while crossing his arms together. "That is an answer I can't give you, Stranger. You see, one day, while managing the next runtime processes for that day, the server picked up an unwanted user entering the world. At first I thought it was just a bug, an error picking up a generic Tree Friend, or any AI, as an actual Host, so I ran a virus scan, only to find out… it was a real person."

The Stranger took his finger away from the trigger as the Mad Man looked down at him. "I couldn't believe it at first, but once I turned my cameras to view one of the entry spawn points for new Hosts, I found you. You and your mysterious body, just teleporting inside the world from out of nowhere. I did my best to erase you, to decline your entry beforehand, but it was too late, and you entered the world completely… well, almost."

The Stranger placed his left hand by his side while still holding his pistol up. "What does that mean? Why wasn't I completely tied like the rest?"

"As I said, when a Host enters one of the caskets, the Administrator can change and alter any settings not naturally placed by the server. This includes life support, traits and everything in between. The only thing the server affected on its own was your avatar, which is actually just a base unit for creating other avatars. Everything else would have to be my doing, and since you came in late, I had no time to make you fit in, nor time to know your name, past, or anything else. Thus, besides your avatar, you were left unaffected."

The Mad Man looked off in a random direction briefly while letting out a sigh. "I have no idea what could possibly give you the motivation to just jump in here, Stranger. Really, I'd think people would stay away from weird things. I guess your real self is the reckless type, or you're just too damn curious. Either way, you came into this world and here you are now." He turned his head to face the Stranger and nodded his head. "And there you have it. Quite an interesting tale, huh?"

The Mad Man and the Stranger stared at each other silently for a short time, not even thinking of a word to say. The air conditioning from the vents were the only thing making anything audible, and the silence made the cold atmosphere feel creepy.

The Stranger's face dropped into a mixture of confusion, anger and sadness, and spoke calmly. "I… I just don't get it… you designed a powerful machine and got people to actually enter it. You did something amazing that the world has never seen, something that everyone could enjoy if made public."

The Mad Man smiled proudly. "Why, thank you, Stranger, that's-"

"So why did you do this?"

The Mad Man's face showed confusion, and he tilted his head to the left. "Did what?"

"This?! THIS type of world! You didn't make a peaceful land where people could prosper in harmony, you created a Hell masquerading as paradise! You place this cute and cuddly look on the outside, only to reveal itself shortly after as a fucked up world filled with chaos! Not even that, you made these people as pawns, toys of yours for your amusement, not as everyday people to enjoy life. This 'Happy Tree Friends' is nothing more than a sick world that promotes itself to be good only to show it to be pure darkness and death!"

The Stranger gritted his teeth and brought his gun up once more, pulling the trigger slightly without firing off a round. "And the worst part is that you ACTUALLY ENJOY THIS! How could anyone just sit down and watch these innocent people die horrifically day after day, and laugh their asses off like a joke! This isn't funny, this isn't how people should live; this is HELL! And you did all of this out of fucking entertainment!"

He took a few steps closer, looking up to the Mad Man while shedding a single tear. "So why?! WHY did you do THIS?!"

The Mad Man stared at the Stranger blankly, taking in a deep breath before speaking. "I'll be blunt with you, Stranger: I'm sick, I'm evil, and I always wanted to play God. To control over the lives of others and to make them abide to my rule, it was a dream come true when I created this machine. To have such limitless power, to control and do anything, I could have so much enjoyment doing whatever I want. And with it being virtual, there would never be any consequences; I would always be free to do what I wanted and no one would ever be harmed. I was God!"

The Stranger did all he could to resist pulling the trigger of his pistol. "So all you did was thought of yourself, is that it?! You used others to fulfill your wishes, making them slaves so you could just have the fucking time of your life by watching others be harmed. That's your idea of fun?! And being God; you think the best way to be a God is to forcefully have themselves killed, purposely creating situations to kill them, and that pleases you?!"

The Mad Man kept his face from showing any emotion. "It's just the type of person I am, Stranger. I had become God of my own world, and they became my subjects. It was an opportunity to do whatever I wanted. I spent my entire life creating this machine, and I wanted to spend the rest enjoying what I created. And to me, this was the entertainment I wanted; to control the lives of others and watch them face their destined fates."

Silence filled the room once more, the Stranger shaking violently out of rage from the Mad Man's explanations. In short time, the Stranger spoke up once more. "Well it all ends today! Your time of playing God is over; it's time you let everyone go and accept defeat, to face the consequences and end it all forever. You are going to free us right here, right now!"

The Mad Man stood staring down at the Stranger silently, and turned his body over to the terminal. The Stranger stood watching as the Mad Man worked his magic on the tiny computer beneath the big screen, pressing a variety of buttons at a fast pace that the Stranger could not keep up.

He then stopped instantly, stood straight up, faced the Stranger, and gestured his hands to the computer. "It's ready."

The Stranger lowered his gun to his side, and spoke with anger and confusion in his voice. "What's ready?"

"You and everyone else's rides out of here. All you have to do now is click 'Shut Down,' and the server will instantly print a save state of the world while ejecting every current Host. This world will be destroyed and everyone will be able to return home. It's just a button away, Stranger, and I'm giving you the honor to finish it."

The Mad Man dropped the tiny grin on his face before slowly bringing his hands up in the air. "Or… perhaps you feel the need to kill me still? I've given you what you want, what you were fighting for since the beginning, so do you still want to finish me off? Does your anger fuel you mind, saying that I deserve to die? Is your hand itching to pull that trigger, and kill an old man stuck in his past and currently admitting his faults? What is it that you want to do now, Stranger?"

The Stranger breathed heavily as his eyeballs examined the Mad Man from top to bottom. He felt like something was wrong; he was surrendering way too easily, practically throwing in the towel without hesitation. He was handing his life away without even putting up a fight, something the Stranger did not expect. None of it felt right at all…

But this still was the man who tortured his life, who dozens of people captive and used for his entertainment, who made his life a living Hell. And right now, he had the chance to both kill him and return home. He wanted his revenge to be fresh, and his chance was available to him right now.

He aimed his pistol directly center over the Mad Man's forehead, and spoke calmly. "You're a monster, a creature of pure evil. You are far from human, and your actions are unforgivable. You murdered the lives of innocent people, despite them surviving it or not. You do not understand the qualities of human morality, or the difference of right or wrong. I believe in the motif 'an eye for an eye, a life for a life,' and you owe thousands of lives. You're an insane murderer who must be put down once and for all, and I intend on doing that."

The Mad Man nodded his head as he kept his arms in the air. "I'm a little disappointed to hear that, Stranger, but I guess I should have suspected that coming from you. Alright then, Stranger, do as you must. You win…"

The Mad Man closed his eyes and breathed in a calm pattern, awaiting to receive death. The Stranger stood still briefly, staring at the Mad Man blankly while holding the gun over him.

He took one deep breath, and with a strong pull of his right index finger, fired off a round that directly hit the Mad Man center mass on the forehead, piercing his skull and entering his brain. The inside of his skull began to spew blood as his brain splattered in pieces, and a little hole was left behind on his forehead.

The Stranger's eyes widen in shock and he took a few steps back as the body of the Mad Man slowly leaned forward, falling down like a heavy statue. It was only a second when the Mad Man went from standing tall above the Stranger to falling down face-first onto the dark, metal floor. His large size made a small vibration upon impacting the floor, making the Stranger shake a little.

The body bounced lightly after the high, sudden drop, and then became completely limp, right in front of the Stranger's eyes.

The Stranger lowered his pistol to his side, breathing heavily while still shaking violently. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, his mind could not comprehend the sight. After months of fighting through his worst nightmares, surviving every challenge that nearly killed him, it was all over.

The Mad Man was dead.

The Stranger swallowed his throat and walked slowly over to the dead body of the Mad Man. He tilted his head to the right side when he stood over the large head of the evil god. Blood was slowly running out of the tiny hole from his head, and the floor beneath him was being flooded by it.

The Stranger brought his right foot up, and, with a heavy forceful kick, pushed the body of the Mad Man to lay on his back, to get a clear look of his face. He stood back and observed the dead expression of the Mad Man, and nodded his head to himself while looking at the body.

The Mad Man's body was cold and limp, the hole on his head still oozing blood. His eyes were shut and his jaw slightly hanged. No visible signs of breathing were noticeable, and the body did not move an inch.

The Stranger grunted while holding onto his gun tightly, standing victoriously over the dead body of a once evil god. It was finally over, and the victory was handed over to the Stranger and the Tree Friends.

"Well… so that's what I'm going to look like when I die."

The Stranger's entire body froze in absolute horror. His heart was almost banging out of his chest, and his legs felt like they could collapse any second. His eyes began to dart around frantically while his breaths picked up to the point of hyperventilation. His body began to shake furiously, almost entirely impossible to control it.

He was deaf in his right side, but his left ear could easily pick up that voice from anywhere. The Stranger closed his eyes in fear, too scared to turn around and face what his mind was thinking. It was impossible, there's no way it could be done. It had to be an illusion, a trick on his mind!

Taking in a large gasp of air and shaking violently, he slowly turned his head around and gasped what stood just beneath him.

A pair of old black dress shoes.

The Stranger looked up instantly, and he swore he died upon the instant he saw the horrific sight that stood tall above him, a figure looking down at him with its head tilted to the side while dawning an eerie smile.

It was the Mad Man.

"Hello there, Stranger."

Quickly attempting to raise his gun up, the Stranger found himself in an invisible choke hold by the Mad Man. Without even laying a finger on him, the Mad Man stretched out his left hand and grasped the Stranger's neck, choking him with immense pressure. The Stranger was gasping for air as he felt his neck bone slowly begin to crack, sucking the life out of him.

The Mad Man chuckled as he waved the Stranger in the air, swinging his body back and forth until he built the momentum to throw him from the _Control Room _and back to the _Administrator's Office_, hitting the floor hard and rolling across it until he hit his entire backside against the wall on the other end of the room.

The Stranger groaned in pain as he breathed heavily for oxygen. With his vision blurred, he looked up to see the Mad Man walking forward while pointing his right index finger at him.

"Dear God, Stranger! Did you honestly believe that it was going to be THAT easy?! That I was just going to surrender and let you go because you had a little gun in your hand?! You really thought you could kill me without even breaking a sweat?! REALLY STRANGER?! I swear, you can be the absolute biggest dumbass my eyes have ever sadly made contact with."

Filled with rage and the urge to kill, the Stranger brought his gun up once more to shoot the Mad Man. But as the Stranger fired off another round, the Mad Man teleported to the side, dodging the bullet at the last possible second. The Stranger fired off a second round, with the Mad Man teleporting to the side again. With every shot he fired, the Stranger missed the Mad Man due to his ability to teleport around the field.

With one last bullet left, the Stranger attempted to fire, but was stunned when the Mad Man teleported right in front of him, grabbing his right arm and twisting it, making him drop his pistol and cry out in pain. Seeing him now disarmed, the Mad Man lifted the Stranger up and brought his wounded and scared face to meet his.

"You've been here for how long, Stranger?! You know about the resurrection cycle; didn't you stop to think it would work on me as well?! I CREATED THIS WORLD! I'M A GOD!"

The Mad Man lifted the Stranger high and smashed him hard onto the ground with strength that was superhuman. The Stranger could feel his entire body breaking apart as the impact nearly killed him, and he laid there whimpering in pain.

Shaking his head at the sight, the Mad Man got down on his right knee and looked at the Stranger angrily. He spoke loud, piercing the inside of the Stranger's head with his rough voice.

"I just can't believe, Stranger, of how stupid you could really be. I thought I taught you better, throwing every challenge at you, that you would know what you would be facing. Yet again you ignored every word. This is what happens when you fail to recognize my warnings, Stranger!"

The Mad Man slowly grasped his left hand once more, the Stranger feeling the invisible pressure around his neck once again. He looked up while holding his hands around his neck to see an odd glove covering the Mad Man's left hand, something he failed to notice the first time around.

Seeing his eyes come in contact with his glove, the Mad Man smiled and let go of his grip on the Stranger. "Ah, I see you've found interest in another one of my favorite toys."

Lifting his left arm up and pulling back his sleeve, the Mad Man revealed a tool that scared the Stranger at the sight.

It was a virtual computer that was attached to a large white gauntlet, a glowing looking circle underneath the palm of the glove. The screen attached to the glove was showing a variety of untranslatable details, and the circle underneath was glowing brightly.

"Say hello to the Administrative Tactical Computer; ATC for short." The Mad Man rolled down his sleeve and stood tall over a downed Stranger. "Those days of absent violence? That was my time working on this bad-boy. I thought to myself 'hey, why limit myself to that computer when I can do it on the move,' and decided to create a new gadget that could turn me into the god I always dreamt of being."

The Mad Man turned around and aimed of his left palm in the center of the room, shooting out a virtual 3D map of all of Happy Tree Town. The Stranger laid on the ground in pain as the Mad Man spoke proudly.

"With this tool created, I was able to improve my response time on all actions over 27% efficiency, while also making my administrative powers more powerful. I could view every part of this world at any angle, and cause any form of accident from this very room or anywhere else on the go, never restricted to the computer. It was quite effective fighting you during the battle, visibly seeing every path you took and precisely knowing how to corner you."

The Mad Man removed the map from the room and faced the Stranger once more with his eerie smile. "Besides always having the tactical advantage and ease of causing destruction from just standing here, it made me more powerful and mobile than ever! Teleportation, summoning any tangible object, ability to affect the environment through telekinesis, affecting the traits and conditions of Hosts in live time, and, best of all, the concealed ability to walk amongst my own subjects and control their lives firsthand!"

Kneeling back on his right knee, the Mad Man stared into the eyes of the Stranger, who still laid in agonizing pain. "Stranger, all those events and challenges that occurred in the past, all of those 'accidents,' you didn't think they just HAPPENED, did you? You may have never realized it, Stranger, but…"

The Mad Man brought up his ATC and opened up a virtual menu. With one click of a button, the Stranger crawled back a short distance as he watched the entire body of the Mad Man light up in a bright blue aura. He watched as the body of the Mad Man began to transform down to a smaller size and, after a large flash of light, revealed a whole new character.

His eyes almost popping out of their sockets due to utter shock, the Stranger now saw a purple generic Tree Friend standing above him, looking down at him with a devilish smile. The Stranger shook his head as the generic Tree Friend nodded his head slowly.

"I was always there, every step of the way."

The Stranger watched as the Mad Man continuously pressed the ATC, shifting into multiple colors and breeds of generic Tree Friends.

"Shifty and Lifty driving out of control? That fire lit up at the diner? That truck crashing into the tower? Flippy ignoring you at the carnival? Anything that has ever happened in your time trespassing in my world was my doing; I watched every step you took in the field, either saving those pathetic Hosts or just enjoying your days. Following you among the crowds of generics was quite an experience, especially when I fought down on the ground by your side and causing chaos in your fight."

The Mad Man took a few steps closer to the Stranger, keeping his eyes on him at all times. "Oh… and, let me show you my latest character design; you might like it…"

Pressing the button on his ATC one last time, the Mad Man lit up in a blue light once more, and the Stranger watched helplessly as the Mad Man began to take on a new form.

His latest form, though, enraged the Stranger beyond comprehension. He gritted his teeth, growled angrily, tensed his body up, and shed a single tear out of sadness and anger.

The Mad Man's latest form was a Shadow form of Evil, standing with a dark aura around his body and the demonic yellow eyes that glowed from their sockets. His smile was the signature razor sharp blades, and he chuckled at the Stranger's angered expression.

"So, what you think, Stranger? I call him 'Shadow Evil'… a little cliché, I know, but it works, doesn't it?"

The Stranger did not respond, only staring back as his anger began to build up strength in his weak body. The Mad Man shook his head as he knelt down again, moving his face close to the Stranger.

"I'll tell you a truth, Stranger: I never killed a Host with my own hands before. So when I got the chance to hold that red bitch in my hands, to shove my knife into her weak flesh, to pierce open her organs, it was such an erotic and amazing feeling that I was glad that you got to watch with me. Oh, Stranger, her death was unoriginal, but it was satisfying nonetheless!"

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

The Stranger lunged forward as hard as he could, but the Mad Man teleported in a flash, dodging the Stranger's failed attempt to attack. He landed a few feet away from his position, laying on the white solid floor once more in pain. The Stranger weakly pushed himself up on his hands and knees, and looked to his left to see the Mad Man appearing once more, this time back in his human form.

The Stranger tensed his body up in fear as the Mad Man raised up his left hand, revealing the tiny circular pad underneath his palm. The pad began to glow a dark red, and the Mad Man nodded his head.

"Prepare yourself, Stranger!"'

A large flash of light shot out of the small pad, and the Stranger lifted up his left hand while closing his eyes, looking away from whatever was going to hit him. He suddenly felt his body get struck by something, feeling an odd pain running through his entire body, making him cringe in place.

The Stranger waited for a brief time, believing he was killed instantly. He then took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, shocked at the realization of what happened.

His body was completely healed and clean. His right ear was back in place, all of his scars were removed, and all the blood was washed away from his grey fur. The Stranger was sent back into a clean state, fully healed of all injuries.

He then felt something heavy in his left hand, and looked over to see a large steel sword placed in his left hand, now forming a grip around the handle. The Stranger could see a clear reflection of his face in the sharp blade, seeing how he was completely clean. He admired the sword's sharpness, appearing to have an edge straight enough to cut through anything.

The Stranger could feel the strength in his legs returning, and stood up straight in the center of the room. Confused, he looked over to the Mad Man, noticing his body was starting to glow a dark purple. The Mad Man raised his arms and hands in the air in a 'V' shape, and spoke calmly.

"Stranger, I waited for this day for far too long. I may be a sadistic god, but if I were to fight any opponent, I would wish him to be at his best condition. This is a fight I've been dying to have, Stranger, and it must be perfect."

The Stranger placed the sword in his right hand and covered his eyes with his left arm as a dark black and purple light flashed from the Mad Man. A large gust of wind was felt, almost knocking the Stranger to his knees. Squinting his eyes tightly, the Stranger looked up to see an odd transformation from the Mad Man.

"I hope you're ready, Stranger! I am not like any of those pathetic weakling Shadows or the atrocity that is Evil. I am a GOD OF DESTRUCTION; THE BRINGER OF CHAOS; I AM THE ALL-POWERFUL RULER OF THIS WORLD! AND I WILL NOT GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT!"

One more flash of light was made, and the Stranger looked to see that the Mad Man had taken a new form of clothing. His entire lab coat was replaced with a black cloak with an immensely dark-purple overlay, and his pants now as dark as his coat. His black shoes were formed into a pair of tight boots, hard and sturdy enough that could crush anything beneath him. His right hand was hidden under a dark and long glove, while his ATC stayed intact. Behind him fluttering in the air was an oversized cape, black on the front and a dark-red in the back.

But what stood out more was a huge katana blade that was sheathed in his left side. Its length was unimaginable, and its blade sharp enough to slice open even the toughest of metals. The Mad Man landed on his feet, standing tall over the Stranger at the other end of the room. His eyes squinted at his opponent as he spoke calmly.

"It's time you show me what you can do, Stranger. You proclaim yourself as the hero of this tale, so… show me. Show me what you learned in you time here, show me how capable you are in taking down a god."

The Stranger got into a battle pose was gripping both his hands around the handle of the blade. He gritted his teeth and tensed his body up for a fight, ready to defend himself. The Mad Man leaned his right leg back as he brought his right hand to rest on the handle of his sword, and nodded slowly to the Stranger.

"Show me your strength!"


	20. Ch 16: Finish the Fight, Part II

**Chapter 16.2**

**Finish the Fight, Part II**

* * *

"Show me your strength!"

Two bitter enemies stood on each opposite end of the large open room acting as their arena. The Stranger, grasping the steel sword by the handle with both hands, stood on the right side, close to the hallway door he entered from only a few minutes ago. On the other end, by the _Administrator's Bedroom _door, stood the Mad Man, his dark suit almost as menacing as the large katana blade sheathed on his left side. The Mad Man's right hand laid gently its handle, ready to strike at any moment.

The Stranger brought his body to an offensive position, gritting his teeth and staring straight at the Mad Man with fury and determination to win. The Mad Man nodded his head slowly with a silent chuckle, not fazed by the Stranger's anger, and standing perfectly still as his long cape fluttered in the small breeze.

The two stood at the ready on the opposite sides of the room, waiting for their opponent to throw the first punch. Silence filled the room as neither one made a sound, not even taking a moment to inhale oxygen. Their minds were concentrated on only one goal.

Win.

The Stranger brought his eyes back and forth between the Mad Man and his katana. He swallowed his throat and his body sweated as his eyes examined the blade. It was beyond the boundaries of reality; its sheer length, measuring almost one-third of the room, made it impossible for any mere soul to wield, and its blade sharp enough to pierce the toughest of metal.

He shook his head as he made himself only keep the thought of succeeding. This was his one and only chance of getting home, and he wasn't going to let it fall out of his grasp. Through all the pain and torture he fought through, he wasn't going to give up now.

It was possibly five minutes before one of them made the first move: The Stranger, making the tightest grip he could make on his sword, marched forward slowly and carefully as he kept his eyes on the large blade wielded by the Mad Man. A single hit from the blade would end his life for sure, and he had to prepare himself for any incoming blows at any moment.

The Stranger's heart was pounding violently with every step he took forward towards the Mad Man. His enemy wasn't even making a single motion despite moving inward. The Mad Man only stood in his place while looking down at the Stranger from afar, keeping his one hand on his handle but never grasping it. The Stranger knew something was going to happen, and drew his sword upward for protection.

He made it halfway across the room, now reaching the center portion of the small white arena. Judging the length of the katana, the Stranger was almost and in the strike zone of the Mad Man, who continued to only stand and wait. Taking a few more steps forward, the Stranger's eyes jumped to the Mad Man's handle, and realized in horror that he had now grasped the handle tightly.

His eye's jumped back to face the Mad Man, and felt time had paused briefly. The Mad Man gritted his teeth, and hopped forward a short distance as he pulled out his oversized katana blade, slicing it from left to right in one heavy swing. The Stranger quickly jumped back, keeping his eye on the blade that was slowly closing in on him.

The Stranger breathed in heavily, holding his neck back as far as he could. As he was in mid-air jumping back, he could feel the very tip of the katana blade touching the tiny hairs of his fur beneath his neck. The fast and heavy swing created a small gust of wind in its trail, making the Stranger's fur wave in the direction of the blade.

He landed on his feet perfectly while letting out a rapid succession of scared breaths, his heart beating at an unimaginable rate. The Stranger watched the Mad Man hop back to his original position as he brought his katana blade up, grasping the handle with both hands and holding it from his top right side, the blade hanging at an angle downward across his body.

As the Stranger got back in position, the Mad Man laughed loudly at the sight of the Stranger's fear. "What's wrong… are you scared? Come on, Stranger. You wanted to fight me, so come, fight me!"

The Stranger brought his sword up instantly as the Mad Man slowly walked forward, keeping the blade of the katana in front of his body while keeping his grip tight, prepared to swing at any possible moment. As he moved slowly, the Stranger decided to wait for his move this time, letting his enemy come to him.

But his move would prove ineffective as his eyes caught the slow movement of the Mad Man grasping the blade's handle tightly, and, in an instantly, raise it high in the air. Knowing dodging was no way possible, the Stranger had no choice but to attempt a defensive maneuver by raising his sword upwards, blocking his face and chest.

With the strongest force he could muster, the Mad Man slung the katana blade down from above, aiming directly at the Stranger's head. Luckily, the Stranger deflected the katana blade on the first hit, preventing it from making contact with his fleshy body.

This would not be the only swing from the Mad Man, though, as the moment the katana blade deflected with the Stranger's sword, he quickly hopped forward while preparing to perform a side-sweep attack. Seeing such fast reflexes, the Stranger made his attempt to be fast, bringing his sword to block the side-sweep just in the nick-of-time while hopping backwards.

The Mad Man followed his attack with a 360-degree spin, his katana blade going in a clockwise rotation as his cape fluttered in the air. The Stranger ducked while keeping his sword up, blocking the hit again while trying his best to keep a sturdy position on the ground. Every hit the Stranger deflected was gradually reducing his strength, as the blows were some of the hardest hits he ever encountered.

After performing his final move, the Mad Man hopped back while bringing his katana upwards, breathing lightly after the fast consecutive blows. "I see you're quick to go for the defensive, Stranger. But how do you suppose to defeat me while not making an attempt to attack?"

Gritting his teeth in anger, the Stranger stood his ground as he kept his sword in front of him. The Mad Man, coming up with a variety of ways to strike down his opponent, decided to go on a fast-offensive approach. He grasped the katana handle with both hands and brought the blade to face up, and quickly began to make a counter-clockwise circular dash around the room.

Not wanting to be flanked, the Stranger followed suit, staying on his side of the room while running in the counter-clockwise rotation. He kept his eyes on the Mad Man, who dared not to look at his opponent. After a short dash, the Stranger noticed the Mad Man make a sudden stop before making a forceful leap in the air, heading in the direction of the Stranger.

The Stranger gasped as he noticed the Mad Man quickly positing the long katana blade to face downward, ready to strike from above. The Stranger braced himself, and performed a dodge roll to the right, barely escaping the sharpness of the steel blade of the Mad Man's katana. The katana blade struck deep into the hard floor, causing cracks and a forceful wave through the room.

As the Stranger completed his roll and got back up to his feet, he quickly turned around and brought his blade just in time as the Mad Man swiftly brought his katana blade from the floor and performed yet again a quick 360-degree side-sweep, hopping back slightly after performing the move.

The two opponents were slowly getting exhausted from the constant running in such a short amount of time, swings of their heavy blades slowly degrading their strength in the fight. The Stranger, however, made sure to keep his will to fight strong and alive, prepared not to back down yet. The fight had to be finished today, and he was determined to finish it.

As the two rivals proceeded to march in a clockwise rotation around the room slowly, the Stranger decided to make an offensive move again, in hopes to actually cause damage to his enemy. Knowing a slow approach is not advisable, the Stranger dashed forward, preparing himself for an attack and ready to dodge at any second.

The Mad Man stared down at his half-sized opponent and decided to dash forward as well, preparing to swing his blade downwards. The Stranger grasped his sword's handle with a strong grip, ready to bring it up to deflect the incoming blow.

But, in a white flash, the Stranger watched the Mad Man disappear in an instant. The Stranger halted in his tracks as the Mad Man was suddenly gone from the room, nowhere to be seen. The Stranger breathed heavily as his eyeballs jumped around, trying to pinpoint the Mad Man's position for any surprise attack.

"Think fast!"

The Stranger's eyes widened as he spun around to see the Mad Man appear out of another flash of light, lunging forward to commence an upward swing. Knowing there was no time to run, the Stranger jumped upwards while bringing his sword down, barely deflecting the blow from the katana blade. The strong hit sent him into the air, slowly rising about half-way into the room.

As the Stranger was flung upwards, the Mad Man jumped in pursuit, bringing his sword at the ready to attack. Seeing him quickly coming forward, the Stranger, with fast reflexes, attempted to deflect and dodge all of the Mad Man's swings, the force of each blow bouncing him around in the air like a ball.

Deflecting a third blow, the two came falling back down, with the Stranger landing heavily on his feet while the Mad Man made a perfect landing, hopping backwards to the other side of the room.

The Mad Man chuckled as he brought his katana to point forward, the blade's length once again covering nearly half the distance between him and the Stranger. "Oh come on, Stranger, are you that dense? Don't you remember that I am a god?! I can bend reality and fight all laws of physics! Observe…"

Keeping his sword up to prepare for the Mad Man's next move, the Stranger watched as an ominous purple glow emitted around the Mad Man's dark cloak, and slowly levitated off the ground. After flying up a couple of feet, the Stranger tensed up as his opponent leaned forward in the air and swiftly flew towards his direction.

The Stranger quickly rolled to the left as the Mad Man slung his katana in an upward sling before disappearing into another flash of light. As the Stranger got on his feet, he quickly rolled to the right as the Mad Man appeared from the void to swing once more, only to miss and disappear into another flash of light.

As the Stranger got onto his feet one last time, he brought his blade behind him to quickly deflect the incoming strike of the suddenly-appeared Mad Man, turning around sharply and hopping back after making a successful blow.

Now standing tall with his katana still raised in front of him, the Mad Man, still levitating slightly off the ground, slowly began to rise up in the air further and, after getting enough altitude, leaned straight forward again with his blade struck forward, the sharp edge ready to strike deep into the soft flesh of his rival.

The Stranger hopped to the side as the Mad Man flew forward in an instant and, upon colliding with the wall, rebound off the side and headed off into a random direction like a pinball, his sword still pointing forward. The Stranger rolled left and right again as fast as he could as the Mad Man furiously bounced around the room and rebounding off the walls with his katana out forward.

After a few seconds of quickly missing his target, the Mad Man rose high to the top of the room and came crashing down with the blade of the katana pointing towards the ground, piercing dead center in the room. The heavy impact created a walls of force that headed in multiple directions of the room, the Stranger dodging one of the lines of force quickly.

The ominous purple glow of the Mad Man slowly deteriorated and returned back to its original dark color. The Mad Man pulled the katana from the floor while performing another 360-degree spin, holding onto the katana blade as tight as possible.

Gritting his teeth in rage, the Mad Man looked up to see the Stranger running towards him, holding his sword with both hands. Anger fueling his mind after seeing his moment continuously dodge his every move, the Mad Man rushed forward with his katana raised high in the air, ready to swing down when the moment was right.

When the Stranger was in range of his target, he performed an upward side-swing down at the Mad Man's legs due to his small height. The Mad Man hopped in the air before swinging down his katana, the Stranger leaning to the side in time to have only the tip of his fur be cut off. The Stranger retaliated with a jump to the right while swing from left to right with his sword, though it was deflected by the Mad Man's quick movements.

The Mad Man carried out an 180-degree swing from right to left while hopping forward, aiming for the neckline of the Stranger, but the Stranger quickly raised his sword in the air in time to counter against his katana. To his surprise, the Stranger moved quicker in his counter-attack and, in an instant, was able to perform a second upward swing that graced the right forearm of the Mad Man.

The Mad Man cringed in the slight cut and jumped high in the air before landing on the opposite end of the room from the Stranger. He looked at his forearm to notice the cut, while small, was deep, and was slowly gushing blood from his suit. The Mad Man yelled loudly in rage and looked straight at the Stranger's eyes, who were looking at him with a cocky expression.

"Is this what you really plan to do all this time, Stranger?! Constantly countering and dodging, you damn coward?! Fine, how about I give you some inspiration to be a little more aggressive?"

The Stranger got into an attack pose as the Mad Man, with a swipe from his left arm, summoned a large protective orb around his body before hovering in the air. As the Mad Man hid behind his protective ball, he pointed his katana blade at the center of the room, with a large purple light emitting from the tip of the blade.

Suddenly, a thin laser was shot out, and, upon hitting direct center of the room, created a dark black portal, along with dark-purple particle hovering around the edges. The Stranger tensed up as, after a short time, Shadows like the ones on the first floor started crawling out of the dark void, carrying their signature medieval weaponry. Their eyes glowed crimson red, and their teeth showed their sharp razor blades.

After a few seconds of letting his minions crawl out, the Mad Man brought his sword away, and counted four well armored Shadows, unsheathing their swords and standing at the ready. The Stranger stood still as he looked at each of his opponents slowly walking towards him, ready to do their master's bidding.

The Mad Man spoke loudly, his voice echoing across the room. "Take him down."

The Shadows roared as a group, and charged forward at the Stranger. Not ready to back down yet, the Stranger charged forward at his enemy, quickly devising a plan-of-attack to take out each Shadow in a certain sequence.

As time felt like it had slowed down, the Stranger looked to his upper left to see one of the Shadows swing too early, wrongly performing a downward swing with his sword. Seeing an opening, the Stranger performed his own 360-degree spin in a counter-clockwise rotation, and aimed his sword at the torso of the Shadow.

His sword struck deep into the Shadow's body, and was carried out to the other side, slicing the Shadow's body in half. The Shadow gurgled and spit blood as his organs slowly rolled out while falling over in two pieces. With the Shadow lying dead, the Stranger quickly spun around while raising his sword up, deflecting the second Shadow's attack.

Locked in a struggle-hold, the Stranger kicked the Shadow with his right foot while jumping to the right to dodge the third Shadow's side-swing. As the Stranger landed on his feet, he slung his sword to the right to slice the head off the fourth Shadow without even taking a glance at his opponent's position.

As the Mad Man slowly healed his forearm with his administrative device, he looked down to see the Stranger killing off his troops without breaking a sweat. He growled furiously as his minions failed to lay even a finger on his foe.

"You idiots! Fucking kill him!"

Sadly, his command would not be carried out as the Stranger successfully dispatched the other two Shadows with one right to left side-sweep, removing the last of the Mad Man's troops. The Stranger stood dead center of the room, breathing heavily as he proudly stood over his easy kills.

Taking the advantage for a surprise attack, the Mad Man, still in his protective orb, rose high to the center of the room, directly above the Stranger. Feeling an odd presence, the Stranger looked up to see the Mad Man dispel his protective shield, and came falling down with his long katana blade facing downward.

The Stranger dodged to the right as the Mad Man came crashing down, his sword piercing deeply into the ground once more while sending small shockwaves into the room, almost hitting the Stranger and ruining his balance. As the Stranger performed his roll, he quickly brought his sword behind him to protect his back side while the Mad Man attempted an upward swing, his attack deflected and making him hop back away.

The Stranger turned around to face the Mad Man, whose was showing a growing sign of aggression. The Mad Man tensed up his body as he held the katana handle with his right hand only. He stared down at the Stranger while speaking in a furious tone.

"That's enough, Stranger! If you won't face and know your place in my world, then I'm going to make sure you will feel every bit of pain from it!"

Not standing to take the Mad Man's threat, the Stranger charged forward with his sword held with both hands while aiming forward, ready to strike. But, when he was only a quarter a distance away from the Mad Man, he noticed his gauntlet slowly light up as he brought it across his chest.

The moment the Mad Man formed a fist across his chest, the Stranger felt a sharp pain occur in his heart. He stopped briefly, confused on the sudden appearance of an attack on his heart. The Stranger gasped for air as he looked up to see the Mad Man swipe his left hand in the air while staring at the Stranger, and, upon completing the movement, the Stranger could feel a sense of electric shock covering his entire body, paralyzing him in his place.

The Mad Man made an evil smirk as the Stranger was slowly feeling his heart trying to helplessly fight the massive electric shocks piercing across his body, slowly beginning to come to halt and die. The Stranger cringed in agonizing pain as his vision begin to blur, the Mad Man slowly disappearing from his view while only a few feet away from him.

He shook his head angrily, not wanting to let this be his death. The Stranger jerked his head through the electric force holding and slowly killing him to see his sword still grasped in his right hand. He then looked back at the Mad Man and calculated the distance between him and the Mad Man.

The Mad Man made a confused look as he notice the Stranger slowly lean his right hand backwards, and his eyes widened openly as the Stranger yelled loudly.

"Come on!"

The Stranger, with all his might to fight through the electric force, threw his sword in a spinning motion, being thrown like a boomerang straight at the Mad Man. Seeing the sharp blade heading in his direction, the Mad Man quickly dispersed into another flash of light, releasing the painful grasp on the Stranger.

The Stranger ran forward and performed a dodge roll as the Mad Man quickly attempted to appear behind him and perform a side-sweep, just swinging above the Stranger's back. The Stranger came up to the Mad Man's original position and found his sword on the ground, quickly kicking it up in the air and grabbing it with his right hand while turning around in an instant.

The Stranger chuckled as he breathed heavily from almost dying from electric shock. "Is that… is that all you got?!"

The Stranger's taunt was enough to fuel the internal rage boiling in the Mad Man's mind, and he raised his sword far to the right, the blade pointing directly behind him. A purpled haze formed around him and the room slowly darkened, slightly frightening the Stranger.

The Stranger widened his eyes as the Mad Man prepared his body to lunge forward. Gritting his teeth while lowering his, the Stranger brought his sword upwards, ready to deflect the attack.

Suddenly, the Mad Man ran at the speed of light, quickly running towards the Stranger with one heavy and fast side swing that occurred in a blink of an eye. The swing was powerful enough to slice through any object, and the Mad Man smirked as he appeared on the other side of the room, performing a move that was nearly impossible to deflect.

Nearly was a key word as the Mad Man heard the sound of multiple deflecting sounds made, and quickly looked behind with his peripheral vision to see the Stranger successfully deflecting every hit the Mad Man made in his lightning fast attack. Despite the fast move, the Stranger dodged his attack.

Hoping to catch him by the surprise, the Mad Man quickly spun around with his katana blade to slice the Stranger in half, only to have his attacked deflected by his sword and sending the Stranger to jump back multiple feet away from him. As he stood in shock at his opponent still standing, the Mad Man furiously lit up in his signature purple light.

The Stranger, walking backwards to the center of the room once more while keeping his guard up, watch the Mad Man disappear in a flash of light. Looking around in all directions, the Stranger looked up once more to see the Mad Man appear from a second flash of light, levitating high above the ground while his cloak and cape fluttering in the air.

The Stranger hopped back as he stared at the angered expression on the Mad Man's face, who aimed his katana blade directly at him. He kept his sword up to protect his upper torso, and kept his eyes on the Mad Man's sharp blade and prepare for any move.

He did not, however, expect to see the Mad Man slowly bring his katana back, lowering it down to the ground. As he lowered his guard while staring at the Stranger, the Mad Man spoke as calmly as possible while still having the crackle of rage in his voice.

"Stranger, I had enough of this pathetic and shitty game of yours. I did not let you come in my tower just so you could mess with me and not fight me on the offensive. If all you want to do is play this game with me, then I'm going to finish it for you!"

The Mad Man swiftly brought his katana blade upward, the edge of his blade touching the ceiling of the room. As the Stranger stood helplessly with his sword raised, he watched the room turn almost pitch-black darkness, with a small rolling of dark clouds appearing above the Mad Man.

The Stranger then noticed an ominous orange glow appearing amidst the dark sky created in the room, and shook nervously as he watched the Mad Man jerk his head down to face him with a rage-filled expression.

"THIS ENDS NOW! Let's see you dodge this!"

The Stranger looked directly above him to see the same circling hole from the ones that appeared outside in Happy Tree Town. An orange glow started to appear from its entrance, he knew exactly what the attack was.

Not taking any chances to stand and wait, the Stranger rolled to the left as a tiny flaming meteor shoot out of the hole, crashing heavily onto the floor with immense force. The sudden impact left a giant crack in the solid floor, while the flames stayed lit and brightened up the already dark room.

As the Stranger quickly got up on his feet, he looked up and noticed another hole appear above him, glowing brighter much faster than before. He dodged to the left again, barely in time as the meteor came crashing down, and the heavy shockwave it created on impact almost making the Stranger lose his footing on the floor.

Knowing the attack was not going to stop, the Stranger continuously ran to the left in a circular motion as the Mad Man kept his sword raised in the air while floating in the center of the room. As the Stranger ran, a constant barrage of meteors came shooting out of holes in the sky that followed in pursuit of the Stranger, making the attempt to crush and kill him.

The Stranger was in an adrenaline ruse to stay alive, his heart beating fast as the flaming rocks from the ceiling above him started to get ever so closer to hitting him. Each impact made him forcefully jump a little, each jump making him lose his footing more and more. Soon enough, he was running around already crashed meteors in the room, almost to the point he was squeezing through the crack between them.

The meteors suddenly stopped shooting out of the holes from the dark sky, and the Stranger came to a complete halt as he stood dazed and confused from the cease fire. He then looked around and noticed the meteors started to glow a dark orange color, and their flames slowly began to rise in intensity.

He noticed his feet were getting warm, and looked down to see an orange circular pattern around the area of the Mad Man. As the Stranger stood still, his feet began to burn up, melting away his fur and flesh underneath his feet. He cringed in pain as he hopped multiple times, looking around to see where to run.

The Stranger had no choice but to run and forcefully jump back, hoping to jump from whatever attack was going to occur. His move proved to save his life, as, from the circular pattern, a large wall of fire appeared from the floor, rising high in the sky while destroying whatever was in its area of effect.

Landing heavily on the floor while his feet stayed burnt from the intense heat, he jerked around to see the Mad Man was hidden within a wall of fire in the center of the room. The Stranger was breathing heavily as he stared at what could have been his cause of death, and was wondering where the Mad Man could have run off to.

He did not have to look long as the Mad Man jumped from the fierily wall, his sword raised high above him to strike down the Stranger. Looking to his right to see a clear path, the Stranger rolled on his body to barely escape the collision of the sharp blade of the Mad Man's katana, and attempted to get on his feet in time.

Sadly, he failed to do so as he was only able to raise his sword up to slightly deflect the Mad Man's counter-attack, the strong force from his swing sending the Stranger to fly backwards and land on his back hard. Luckily, the fierily walls and collided meteors were gone, but the floor was still scorching hot, burning his back as he laid on the floor injured.

Getting up as quickly as he could, the Stranger wobbled on the heated floor as he noticed the Mad Man quickly dash forward. Attempting to defend himself, the Stranger was only able to prevent the Mad Man's katana from hitting his left side, the force once more sending him flying to the right. He flew in the air for a brief second before colliding to the wall opposite of the Control Room.

The Stranger cringed in pain as his back was almost broken upon the heavy impact. He looked up and noticed through his squinted eyes that the Mad Man was standing in the center of the room, blocking his direct path to the Control Room. While sitting down, the Stranger looked around his position to see what he could do, his body too weak this time to get up again.

He then jerked to his right to see his pistol from earlier was not harmed from the wall of fire, and was still laying intact on the floor. The Stranger, knowing it was his only chance, quickly dropped his sword and lunged for the pistol, ready to make the one final shot.

But his movement was suspected as the Mad Man rushed forward to stomp his right foot on the Stranger's right hand, crushing the fragile bones in his fingers. The Stranger cried in pain as the Mad Man left his foot on the Stranger's hand, twisting back and forth to leave the growing agonizing pain on the Stranger.

Almost going unconscious from the severe pain, the Stranger felt his back be grabbed by the Mad Man's right hand, grasping tightly onto his fur and squeezing his skin. He was then flung far across the room, high in the air before landing face first on the metal floor, his left cheek and the side of his nose taking a large sum of the impact.

The Stranger grunted and pushed himself up, spitting out blood as he bit his inner cheek from crashing onto the floor. He shook his head as he looked up to see a shocking sight.

He noticed he was thrown into the inside of the Control Room, with the computer just a couple dozen feet away from him. He could see the failsafe screen already open, with just one click away towards freedom. All he had to do was activate the failsafe, and he would win. It was that easy.

Nodding his head determinedly to his plan, the Stranger quickly got up to his feet and made a mad dash for the computer, preparing himself to click the button and end it all. He did not bother to look back to see if the Mad Man was on his tail, he just had to focus on ending the world and freeing everyone. Once done, he could finish it on the outside.

But suddenly, a sharp pain was felt on the Stranger's right thigh, something piercing straight through his flesh and out the other side, spewing out small amounts of blood. He cried out in pain as he tripped over and fell to the floor, landing on his left side hard.

As his body laid against the steel floor, the Stranger shook violently as he placed both his hands over the source of the pain. Slowly opening his eyes as he cringed in pain, he moved his hands away gently and noticed a large bullet wound through his right thigh, the wound completely open and visible on both sides. He was shot.

The Stranger heard a chuckle, and looked behind him to see the Mad Man had sheathed his katana and was holding the extremely small handgun, his own hand bigger than the gun. The Stranger could see a small smoke trail coming out of the barrel, and knew that the last round was spent on him.

The Mad Man threw the gun to the side as he proceeded to walk towards the Stranger. "Didn't your parents teach you not to play with guns, Stranger? You can get yourself hurt by messing with them."

The Stranger quickly glanced back and forth between the Mad Man and the computer, now just a dozen feet away from him. Gritting his teeth and groaning from the growing pain travelling up his leg, the Stranger used all of his strength resting in his arms to crawl forward on the cold metal floor, going as fast as he could to reach the desk.

But every attempt to pull himself forward was proving nearly impossible. The sharp pain from his leg was almost killing him, not to mention the fast loss of blood oozing out of his wound. Each attempt to push forward was exhausting and painful, and he had to take deep breaths between each time he pulled himself toward the desk.

The Mad Man slowly walked towards the left side of the Stranger, looking down at his struggling opponent fight for dear life. He shook his head in disgust at his opponent try so desperately to fight.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Stranger. You honestly never know when to quit, do you? You constantly keep the believe that no challenge is too much for you, and yet, here you are, on the cold floor, bleeding out, and still trying to fight for a lost cause. Stranger, I thought, through all of this, you'd learn to face the truth, the reality of your situation, and stop. But, even in this darkest of moments, you still believe you can win. Stranger… it is honestly pathetic at this point."

The Stranger closed his eyes and tried to block out the noise of the Mad Man standing over him with his taunting words. He cannot let the Mad Man's words stop him now, not when his tool to freedom was right in front of him. He continued to use all of his strength to push himself forward, keeping his will strong and alive to win.

The Mad Man continued to slowly walk beside the crawling Stranger. He closed his eyes briefly and let out a heavy sigh, resting his left hand on the handle of the katana blade.

"Stranger, I must ask you: did you really think you had any chance to defeat me? Did you really have no doubts at all, that you could have won so easily, that I could just really hand this victory over to you without question? You've seen my entire power occur before this day, through all my challenges that was laid forth before you, yet you stuck to the belief that it was going to be so easy in the end. You were so a smart and challenging opponent all these months before, your will fighting against my taunts and courses. But now… you just lost it."

The Mad Man lowered his body down, his face almost eye-level with the Stranger. The Stranger could feel the Mad Man's cold breath hitting face, and looked with his left eye to see him giving an eerie smile.

"Stranger… give up. You don't have to keep fighting anymore. You don't have to make this futile attempt to fight and win, as you and I both know that this game has already chosen a victor, and it is certainly not you. Stay still and accept defeat, and return back to the old ways once more."

_The old ways_. The violent world that he swore he would destroy and break away from. The world in which innocents die in the most gruesome ways and are forced to live by that rule for all of eternity. A world filled with lies with no freedom to act as yourself. He was being suggested to stay in a living hell; that's what the Mad Man was telling the Stranger to go back to, just give up and return to that world again?

The Stranger paused for a brief moment, taking multiple deep breaths while thinking of the Mad Man's proposal. He looked up again to see the computer merely five feet away from him. His key to freedom in his reach. The Stranger glanced over to the Mad Man, who was still leaning down and looking at the Stranger with a smile that pierced his mind.

After a short stare-down, the Mad Man dropped his smile as he watched the Stranger helplessly crawl forward once more, failing to accept the Mad Man's proposal for surrender.

He stood up straight and brought his right hand to the handle of his katana, walking forward far enough to be in front of the Stranger. "You, once again, disappoint me, Stranger. You, once again, fail to listen to my demand and warnings. You never learn, Stranger, so you must pay the price for your incompetence."

The Stranger brought his left hand forward, ready to push himself forward one last time before he was beneath the desk of the computer. But as his hand laid flat out in front of him, the Mad Man used his right foot to crush his hand, similar to what his did to his right hand. The force of his foot against his bones made loud sounds of bones cracking and breaking, making the Stranger shriek and cringe in pain.

The Mad Man laughed evilly as he watched the Stranger, in a futile attempt, try to push away his foot away from his hand, his fingers on his left hand bending in motions that cause the upmost pain on the Stranger's body. The Mad Man, though, intended to make his rival suffer for his ignorance.

Keeping his right hand on the handle on the katana, the Mad Man took his foot of the Stranger's hand and bent over to grab hold of the Stranger's left forearm with his left hand. The Stranger gasped in horror as he looked up at the Mad Man, slowly unsheathing his katana from its scabbard.

With his left hand grasping tightly around the forearm of the Stranger, the Mad Man stared into the horrified face of the Stranger and spoke insanely. "Here, Stranger, let me give you a… _hand_!"

The Stranger was whisked upward above the ground as he was held by his left forearm by the Mad Man. The insane person holding him unsheathed his katana completely, its sharp blade more menacing in the dark indoor lights of the Control Room. The Stranger kicked and breathed rapidly as his heartrate picked up in pace, his mind entering a state of panic of trying to escape.

The Mad Man brought the blade of his katana to touch the edge of the Stranger's left hand, the cold steel rubbing against his soft flesh. The Stranger looked into the Mad Man's eyes in horror, and shook his head violently as he began to whimper in fear. The Mad Man, though, was only enjoying the sight.

He touched the Stranger's kind with the katana blade three more times, going further back with each touch. After the third touch, the Mad Man brought the katana blade as far back as he could, and, with one forceful swing, sliced the Stranger's hand clean off, dropping him onto the floor as his hand flew off.

As the Stranger landed heavily on the floor, he cried in agonizing pain as blood spurted from the empty socket of where his hand used to be. He rolled back and forth while yelling loudly, the blood for both his arm and his thigh gathering together in a large pool of blood underneath him.

While the Stranger cried loudly, tears running down his face in thick streams, and the blood gushing out of his body, the Mad Man chuckled as he picked up the cold dead hand of the Stranger. He wiggled in around, looking at the strings of flesh and blood hanging down, and laughed at the sight.

He looked back at the Stranger, who was still rocking back in forth while crying loudly, and hovered the hand over him. The Stranger opened his eyes and looked through his tears to see his own hand above him. Without thinking, the Stranger reached his right arm out, attempting to grab his hand and 'place' it back on.

The Mad Man, though, hovered it just high enough out of the Stranger's reach, and smiled at his pathetic appearance of trying to grab a dead hand. "Oh I'm terribly sorry, Stranger, but I seemed to have misplaced your hand." The Mad Man made a smirk as he threw the Stranger's left hand far across the room, and chuckled as the Stranger turned to see his own hand be thrown away.

While still crying in pain, he looked back swiftly to see the Mad Man once again bend down and grab him by his left forearm again, quickly hoisting him back into the air once more. The Stranger kicked around more furiously as blood continued to gush out from his left arm, and began to shake his again in total fear of what was going to happen next.

His eyes widened as he watched the Mad Man observe the length of his left arm, and smiled as he noticed the Stranger whimpering in pain. "Well… I guess you won't be needing this arm either!"

The Stranger screamed loudly as he tried to break the grasp from the Mad Man. But it was hopeless, and, with one mighty swing, the Mad Man sliced the remaining piece of the limb attached to his left shoulder, completely removing his left arm away from his body.

He fell to the floor once more, screaming in pain even louder while he kicked and rolled around. The large hole on his shoulder was gushing out a waterfall of blood onto the floor, slowly killing him. As the Stranger kept crying and screaming in pain, the Mad Man curiously examined the Stranger's tiny grey furry arm, and instantly flung it to the side without interest.

The Mad Man then looked down at the Stranger, who was slowly kicking himself away from the insane butcher while crying loudly, and leaving a large bloody trail in his tracks. The Mad Man shook his head as he walked forward, sheathing his blood-stained katana back into its scabbard.

He looked at the thick and large open hole on the Stranger's left side, noticing that it was not going to stop losing blood anytime soon. "Boy, Stranger, that's a pretty big gap you got there." The Stranger stopped moving as he looked up and noticed the Mad Man's gauntlet began to light up, the palm section emitting a bright flame from its orb.

The Stranger shook his head while closing his eyes, too scared to face the incoming pain. To prevent him from moving, the Mad Man dropped to his knees and grasped the Stranger's body with his right hand. Feeling his hand holding his body, the Stranger kicked around and screamed loudly, doing all he can to run away.

He looked up in a state of panic to see a large flame now coming from the palm of the Mad Man's left hand, and looked at the man himself, who was staring back with an insane smile. "Let me _patch _is up for ya!"

The Stranger found himself being pushed onto his right side, and, in an instant, felt the Mad Man's left hand smash against the open wound. The flame coming from his palm was lighting the flesh of the Stranger on fire, sending a massive shock of pain across his entire body.

As his wound was slowly cauterized by the burning flame of the Mad Man, the Stranger squeezed his eyes tightly while screaming loudly, his heart pounding at an intense rate and his lungs losing all of their needed oxygen from the constant crying. He could feel his heart slowly giving out while his vision slowly blurred into blindness. His body was becoming limp from all the pain, and was finally shutting down from the abuse.

Seeing his opponent giving up, the Mad Man removed his left hand away from the Stranger's wound, seeing the open hole now patched up and sealed due to the intense heat. He quickly then brought the Stranger on his back and slapped his face with the back of his right hand, waking the Stranger up from his almost unconscious state.

The Stranger leaned back as the Mad Man jumped forward and brought his face straight up to him, and yelled in his face with spit coming from his mouth. "Don't pass out on me now, boy! We're just getting started!"

The Stranger looked down quickly to see the Mad Man had grabbed his bushy tail with his left hand, and made a tight grip around midway in its length. The Stranger screamed in fear as the Mad Man lifted him high in the air, holding him up by his tail. He looked around frantically as everything in his view was upside-down, and his remaining arm dangling in mid-air.

He swiftly looked over to the Mad Man, who began to make a quick march back into the other room. "Let's take a nice view of the scenery together, shall we?!"

As the Stranger breathed heavily while jerking around in hopes to escape, the Mad Man carried him over to the wall opposite of the control room. He stood there tall while holding onto his rival by the tail, and spoke straight forward without looking at him.

"You tout yourself as a hero, right Stranger? A person fighting for the good of others, who only cares for the safety and life for the innocent? You say you're doing this for them and that you promise victory and peace?! Well, tell me Stranger…"

The Mad Man tapped on the wall in front of them, and suddenly, a large window appeared from thin air, revealing the remains of Happy Tree Town beneath the tall tower. As the Stranger looked down to see the outside of the window, he whimpered and cried lightly at both the pain in his wounds and the sight that laid in front of him.

All of Happy Tree Town was in ruins, with flames and destroyed buildings scattering across the land. A red tint was seen in the atmosphere, and the skies above where still charcoal black. The environment he saw was indeed the picture of hell. But the sight of the world was not what made him cry.

It was what scattered the ground that scared him the most.

Hundreds upon hundreds of dead Tree Friends laid in the streets of Happy Tree Town, their bodies either ripped apart from medieval weapons, shot to death by arrows, crushed by buildings and meteors, or just torn limb from limb by the brutal force of the Shadows.

The worst sight of all, though, was the pile of dead bodies that laid on the No Man's Land beneath them. There, he could see the bodies of Pop and the remnants of his platoon, with Cuddles and other innocent Tree Friends caught within the cross-fire. What made him want to look away even more, though, was the fact that Flaky was amongst the dead.

Everyone he knew was down there… dead.

The Stranger was suddenly spun around while still being held by his tail, and was now facing the Mad Man. The psychotic god leaned his face towards the Stranger, his face filled with anger and hate.

"Tell me, does THIS," after yelling straight at the Stranger's face, the Mad Man flipped the Stranger upwards and grabbed him tightly by the top of his head, grasping his skull in a firm grip. After making him face up, the Mad Man slammed the Stranger's face into the window, breaking his nose and further damaging his cheek bone as his eyes were squeezed against the glass.

"All of THIS, right here in front of you, look like the work of a hero?! You come all this way, and you still feel like you're the HERO of this game?! Look at what you have done! You killed them, Stranger, not the Shadows, YOU!"

As the Mad Man continued to press the Stranger's face against the window, the Stranger whimpered and attempted to speak with his mouth have crushed by the glass. "N-n-n-no…"

"WHAT?!"

The Mad Man brought the Stranger away from the window, allowing him to speak clearly. "N-n-no! I didn't k-kill them… y-y-you did… y-you… bastard!"

The Mad Man was infuriated by the Stranger's rebuttal. "Oh no, Stranger, it is YOUR fault that their deaths occurred today, YOUR fault that everyone had to suffer this pain and torture, for you're the one who started this shit, remember?!"

"B-b-but they w-wanted to f-f-fight with m-me! They decided t-to h-h-help me!"

"Yeah, and look where you had led them! Straight into the depths of hell and to never returned. You could have stopped this from the beginning, Stranger. You could have secured their lives by never interfering. But…"

The Mad Man, rage fueling his strength, smashed the Stranger repeatedly against the window, cracks slowly forming against the glass as his face was slowly getting destroyed.

"BUT! YOU! JUST! REFUSE! TO! LISTEN! YOU! LITTLE! SHIT!"

Upon his last words, the Mad Man brought the Stranger away from the blood-stained window, cracks and splashes of blood scattered across the glass.

"Stranger, you ain't no hero! You were never the hero of this game! You never cared or thought of them! You weren't doing this for them! All you did was used them for your goals, to achieve YOUR wishes; they were always second to you selfish fuck!"

The Stranger, spitting out large sums of blood from the gums of his mouth, spoke quietly. "No… I-I… I w-was doing it f-f-for-"

"Stop it with the lies, Stranger! No matter how many times you say it, no matter how many times you try to rearrange it and make it sound like the truth, you were always the con-artist, the trickster who selfishly made everyone a target to capture to achieve a goal that was to benefit you first."

"N-n-no! I-"

The Mad Man, angered by the Stranger's constant attempt to counter his words, slammed him against the window once more. "STOP! IT! NOW! You honestly want me to believe that, Stranger?! How about we go back to the beginning, huh?! How about we recall you, after one failed attempt, stopped trying to help the others, and selfishly fend for yourself instead of fighting; and instant quitter!"

The Mad Man leaned his face towards the Stranger, still pressed up against the bloody glass. "And how about we discuss that plan, huh?! Let's go over how you wrote it to include yourself in it, which you plan to save others in order to just save yourself. Instead of just solely thinking of the innocent lives, you had to include yourself in the mix, making everyone else just some object or goal instead of a real person to save, all done to save yourself!"

The Mad Man brought the Stranger away from the glass one last time, and made him face forward. "Face it, Stranger, you aren't the hero of this tale. You never thought of them first. You never had the original intentions to save them. That promise to that little girl of yours? That was only done because you were on the spot, just to say something to keep her on your side, wasn't it? It was all a ruse to get support for YOUR freedom, wasn't it?!"

Hearing Flaky being brought up in the conversation made the Stranger tense up in rage, and he yelled back in anger. "NO! I did mean it! I do mean to save them! I do mean to make sure we all go home! I MEAN IT!"

"Really, Stranger?! You seriously mean it?! Okay then, Stranger; let me ask you one question then, one question that'll truly determine the kind of 'hero' you are!"

The two stared at each other briefly before the Mad Man brought the Stranger up to his face, and spoke calmly yet threateningly towards him.

"If you were placed in a situation, where you had to either sacrifice your own life to save all the dozens of innocent lives out there in my world, or sacrifice all of their lives to save your own, what would you choose?"

After the Mad Man finished his question, silence filled the room. Being held tightly on the cranium by the Mad Man's hand, the Stranger stared back at the Mad Man, not saying a single word. His eyes bounced around a little as he breathed slowly, refusing to respond to the important question he was asked. A question that could be easily answered, and yet, he was seemingly having trouble coming up with an answer.

Angered by his silence, the Mad Man tightened his grip on the Stranger's skull, making him cringe as he could feel his brain slowly be crushed by the tight grip. "Answer me, Stranger, what's it going to be?! Your life or theirs?!"

Once again, even with the tight grip being made on his head, the Stranger stayed silent on the question. All he did was bring his right arm up to try and loosen the grip on his head, and never saying a single word.

The Mad Man continued to tighten his grip on the Stranger. "You selfish son of a bitch… you would kill them, wouldn't you? You would seriously end their lives to save your own, wouldn't you?! WOULDN'T YOU?!"

"SHUT UP!" The Stranger yelled loudly as his skull was slowly being crushed. "Shut up you bastard! I-"

"Shut up? SHUT UP?! That's your response to my statement?! You really are a selfish little shit! You really could just hand their lives over just to save yourself, huh?"

"NO! N-n-no I-"

"Then say it, Stranger! Tell me, the honest truth, WHAT YOU WOULD DO?!"

The Stranger and the Mad Man stared at each other blankly, both of them breathing heavily as their anger towards each other grew. Silence filled the room one last time as they waited for each other to make a response of any kind to the question.

The Stranger than tensed his body up and stared straight into the Mad Man's eyes, just before he spit out a thick slob of saliva from his mouth. The spit hit across the Mad Man's face, sticking onto him in a dirty mess.

The two continued to stare silently at each other as the Mad Man wiped away the spit on his face, and spoke calmly after cleaning himself up. "You know what… that's exactly what I thought you would say…"

With one heavy jerk, the Mad Man threw the Stranger onto the solid floor with immense force, making hit his right side and nearly busting his right arm, cracking the bones inside while tearing up his internal body structure. He groaned in pain as he laid on the still-warm floor, and cringed with every attempt to move. Pain was sent across his entire body, and he was practically immobilized beneath the Mad Man.

Seeing his rival weakened and on the ground before him, the Mad Man was now tired of the game. He no longer had the patience to constantly play with his opponent. It was time to finish the fight, and, as a god, he intended to continue his reign. All he had to do was take care of one remaining rebel.

As the Stranger laid on the floor, the Mad Man unsheathed his katana from its scabbard, and stood tall over the small weak body of his enemy. Rage still resting in his mind, he sent a forceful kick in the Stranger's stomach, making him slide across the room and just before the entrance of the Control Room. He groaned and trembled in pain, his eyes closed as it hurt even to open his eyes.

The Mad Man marched towards the Stranger, and stood tall above him once more. Wanting to make sure he sees everything that he plans to do to him, the Mad Man brought his right foot to rest on the body of the Stranger and pushed him to rest on his back, his face now looking directly at him.

He brought his long katana blade to have its sharp edge meet the tip of the Stranger's nose. The Stranger could feel the cold steel touching his skin, making his heart beat faster as his death was certain. This was the weapon that would kill the Stranger once and for all.

The Mad Man took a deep breath through his nose and out his mouth, and spoke calmly. "Stranger… it was fun playing with you."

The Stranger looked up for a brief second, and stayed silent as he stared into the eyes of the Mad Man. After a few seconds of waiting, the Stranger spoke weakly but loud enough for the Mad Man to hear.

"… same…"

Both nodding their heads at each other, the Stranger closed his eyes as the Mad Man raised his katana high in the air. Making sure he would hit directly at the neckline of the Stranger, the Mad Man tighten his grip on the handle, and swung the blade down.

To the Stranger, he could hear the blade coming down towards him, a loud reflecting sound of the sharp sword piercing through the air. As he kept his eyes closed, his mind slowly recalled the memories of the past. And not the memories of his childhood or the memories of the outside world. But rather the memories in this world. Being with Flippy and Flaky, the world he had seen and the work he had done; it was all worth remembering.

And was all worth dying for.

…

…

…

But the Stranger could still feel his heart beating. He could still feel the remaining blood in his body still flowing through his veins. Hearing the sword coming down at him, his death should have been instant, quick and clean. So what happened?

Opening his eyes once more, the sight was something that neither the Stranger nor the Mad Man himself could have believed to be true.

Pushing back the Mad Man through a variety of the fastest attacks and deflects he had ever seen, the Stranger could clearly see the sight of familiar green fur, with the body of a small bear wearing an infamous tattered army uniform. His attacks were lightning fast as he used both a large Bowie knife and an axe to fight the Mad Man, who was doing his best to deflect the fast attacks while slowly being pushed back.

The Stranger pushed himself up with the remaining strength in his body as the green bear had his back turned on him, standing just in front of him. He could not believe the sight, it just had to be a dream, for something like this would be impossible.

"F… Flippy?"

Instead of a response, the green bear pointed behind him without turning his head, his right index finger pointing towards the Control Room. The Stranger looked to see a clear path to the computer was available to him, but yet he was still baffled by the situation.

He looked back at the green bear and spoke louder. "Flippy?! Is that-"

The green bear sighed in agitation, and quickly spun around and placed both his weapons in his right hand, letting his left hand grasp on the tuft of fur on the Stranger's chest. The Stranger was hoisted up above the ground, held high in the air by the green bear, which gave a clear view of the person's face.

Aside from the tattered scars on his face, the Stranger could pinpoint one familiar trait on this green bear that he could never forget.

Emerald-colored eyes.

"… Evil...?"

Without responding, Evil threw the Stranger into the limits of the Control Room, and stared down briefly at him. As the Stranger pushed himself up, he could see Evil walk towards the keypad to the entrance of the Control Room, standing just beneath it due to his height.

Before the Stranger could say another word, Evil spoke loud and clearly to him, a command that he could not ignore or question.

"Go."

With his last word, Evil jumped up and smashed the keypad with his axe, breaking the circuits in the system and causing a malfunction in the door, sending in an emergency shutdown. The two sliding doors came to a close, locking up tightly and preventing intervention from both inside the Control Room and out.

Laying on the metal floor confused, the Stranger looked at the closed doors and was having a difficult time of piecing together what he just saw. He had just witnessed Evil save him from death… and was now helping him save the lives of others.

Shaking his head from the confusing and sudden turn of events, the Stranger used his weak right arm to push himself onto his feet, barely standing up as the wound in his right thigh was causing severe pain in his right leg. As he stood, he turned around to see the large computer in the room, still active and ready to use.

With the door close and the computer all ready to be used,

The Stranger now had the chance to finish it.

"Alright… just one last move."


	21. Ch 16: Finish the Fight, Part III

**Chapter 16.3**

**Finish the Fight, Part III**

* * *

"Go."

With his last word, Evil jumped up and smashed the keypad with his axe, breaking the circuits in the system and causing a malfunction in the door, sending in an emergency shutdown. The two sliding doors came to a close, locking up tightly and preventing intervention from both inside the Control Room and out.

Evil took a few steps back away from the permanently shut double doors, and released a sequence of heavy and angered breaths. The closed doors meant he had no access to the inside, his safety now no longer guaranteed. But his own safety wasn't exactly on his mind, but rather the man he threw inside for his safety. He, a cold-blooded murderer, just sacrificed his life so another man could go in. Evil wanted to murder the Stranger in his hands, and his moment was right there. And yet, he did the unthinkable of playing the hero.

So why did he do such a heroic act that was against his character? If all he wanted to do was kill someone, why not the Stranger when he was at his weakest?

Evil chuckled sadistically at the thought. He didn't need to kill the Stranger… because he didn't want to. His eyes were not set on the sight of killing him… he was thinking of something else more worthy of a kill by his hands. He didn't take what he did as a heroic act, but rather, his opportunity for his greatest kill yet.

The Mad Man.

As Evil kept his back turned to him, the Mad Man kept his long and sharp katana blade at an angle in front of him, standing in a defensive position. He was breathing heavily, both from defending against Evil's rapid attacks and the sudden shock of his arrival. His eyes bolted around as he stood in utter confusion of the creature that stood before him, though still half his own height.

He grasped the handle on the katana tightly, and spoke loudly. "Flippy?! How… how can you be alive! I was there when I saw you die; you were in my grasp as I shoved my knife deep into your weak and soft flesh, gouging out the massive amounts of blood with it! There was no way you could have survived that, so how… how…?"

The Mad Man stopped in his questioning remark as Evil slowly turned around, bringing his knife to rest gently in his right hand and a Shadow's axe in his left. His head was kept lowered to the ground as blood slowly dripped from his ripped BDU jacket and from the many open wounds across his chest and body. His beret was absent, and his green fur almost drenched in the color of crimson red.

Evil chuckled once more, even louder than before to instill fear in his opponent. The Mad Man took one pace back as he kept his eyes on Evil.

His jaw slightly dropped as Evil looked up, revealing his sharp-bladed teeth, his hot and deep breaths, his battle-torn face, and his signature emerald eyes.

The Mad Man now knew that this creature before him,

Was not Flippy.

Standing for a brief moment as the two stood in a stare-down, the Mad Man smiled widely as he shrugged his shoulders. "Well… I should have known better that your doppelganger would show up sooner or later. I was a fool to think a two-faced monster like yourself would have died from such a pathetic stab. I suppose now you wish to kill me, huh, for trying to kill your previous self, is that it?"

Evil made a devilish grin as he stood in an attack stance, spinning the sharp weapons in front of him before bringing them outward from his sides. The Mad Man laughed silently as he lowered his katana blade, now just hanging by his side while the blade faced forward. Evil made a confused tilt of his head, wondering what his prey was planning to do.

The Mad Man shook his head while looking down and brought his left hand to his side while making a very tight grip on the handle of his katana. He took a deep breath, and then sharply looked up to face Evil into his emerald eyes.

"How typical."

With his response said, the Mad Man swiftly turned around and, with a mighty force and the strength of a god, lunged forward to the wall behind him, smashing straight through the mirror while creating a significantly large hole in the building. His body flew far out into the air out of the tower, and slowly glided downward to the land beneath him.

The large force breaking through the wall flung glass and building material throughout the room, along with a strong gust of wind for being so high in the air. Evil cringed and stood his ground, preventing himself from falling over. Looking up to see the giant hole in the building leading to the outside, Evil ran forward and stood at the very edge of the building, looking directly beneath him to see a gliding Mad Man heading towards the war-torn land of Happy Tree Town.

Sighing in agitation, Evil took a few steps back away from the wall, and after a brief moment of preparation, ran straight forward and jumped as far as he could out of the giant hole in the tower, throwing his body out into the cold air.

It didn't take long for gravity to start bringing his body downward, and to prepare his descent, Evil leaned his body downward with his arms laying straight by his sides, giving him easy control to fly through the air like a missile.

As his body was heading straight towards the earth beneath him, he kept his sights on the Mad Man, who was doing the same, gliding downwards to the ground. Checking his trajectory between his position and the Mad Man, Evil adjusted his body to lean slightly towards the left, making his body now overhead the Mad Man.

As he kept his sight towards the ground, the Mad Man felt an odd presence coming near him. He sharply turned his head behind him and gasped as Evil came lunging forward from the air and fast, his weapons brought outward to his sides and ready to attack.

The Mad Man rolled his body in the air while bringing out his katana instantly, swinging his blade outward to deflect the incoming attacks of Evil. Evil violently swung his axe and knife back and forth as he closed the gap between him and the Mad Man, though his attacks were constantly pushed back from the Mad Man's fast reflexes.

Evil bolted his eyes to looking behind the Mad Man to see they were only a few seconds away from hitting the cold and hard earth. Knowing his own body would not survive a direct impact of the ground, and looked at the Mad Man, who was in a struggle hold with both of Evil's weapons.

Grinning, Evil left his axe locked onto the Mad Man's katana as he used his knife to quickly come out and deflect the blade. The Mad Man's grip loosened from the hit, and his guard was broken from the attack. He looked forward and waiting for Evil to swing for the kill, but instead, was met with his tough hands as Evil made a tight grip onto his chest.

Looking down at his hands, the Mad Man was met with the surprise attack from Evil's head, dazing his vision slightly. He then felt his body spun around, with Evil now guarding his body behind the Mad Man's thick cloak.

Shaking his head, the Mad Man opened his eyes and instantly brought his arms to his face as he saw the ground beneath him. Evil laughed sadistically as he rode on the back of the Mad Man, and the two came crashing down onto the earth, creating a massive shockwave a huge crater upon impact.

What could only be seen now was just a large cloud of dirt and dust.

* * *

The Stranger stood up while wobbling back and forth. His breaths were weak yet heavy, and his eyes half-shut as he did his best to try and stand up. Looking down to his left side, he could feel the phantom pain of his left arm, no longer there and replaced with a burnt mark in its place.

As he looked at his missing arm, he drop onto his right knee hard before collapsing down onto the metal floor. He cried in pain as he looked over to see the bullet wound still deep within his thigh, making the pain nearly unbearable and too difficult to even think of standing.

The massive blood loss was slowly getting to him. His heart was beating slower and his vision blurring to near blindness. Everything he felt on his body was absent; the feeling of pain was gone, and so was his ability to keep a steady hold of his conciseness.

But the Stranger looked up once more and noticed the computer that was still active at the end of the room. He was so close now to ending it all, so close to getting to leave. All he had to do was stand up and fight for just a little while longer, and with the door locked behind him, the only thing that could stop him was a lack of will to fight.

Gritting his teeth in pain as he used his right arm to push himself back on his knees, he took several deep breaths while shaking his head, hoping to retrieve better clarity in his vision. After four heavy breaths, the Stranger brought his left foot out and slowly pushed himself back on his feet, attempting his best to reduce the amount of pressure on his right side.

Standing as tall as he could and nodding his head determinedly, the Stranger hopped forward on his left side while dragging his right leg behind him, keeping his right hand on his thigh and breathing heavily with each step. Slowly but surely, the Stranger could see the computer getting closer to his reach with every step.

With every step he took forward, he murmured quietly to himself,

"Just one last move… Just one last move… Just one last move…"

Soon enough, as the Stranger made one tiny hop forward, he quickly reached out his right arm to land on the black wheelie-chair standing just before the keyboard of the computer screen. He breathed heavily after the tremendous pain and effort he face from only hoping a few feet. He shook his head, clearing his vision just enough to see his right hand grasp tightly onto the seat, using it as support to keep him up.

Seeing how the seat of the chair was a little big for him (it was designed for a human after all), he crouched down slightly and made a forceful leap up while using all of his strength in his right arm to pull himself up to the seat of the chair, now lying face first on the leathery cushion.

Pushing himself back up once more, he placed his right hand on his open bullet wound, still slowly oozing out of the hole that was left behind. He could feel his leg slowly losing life as it began to feel colder by the second. Pain was slowly becoming absent as the leg was becoming limp.

Gritting his teeth as he kept his hand on the wound, he looked forward and notice the majestic piece of technology that rested just in reach of his trembling fingers.

The keyboard was plain looking, a dark-charcoal color with blue-letter highlighting that lit up the table that it laid on top of. The Stranger reached his right hand out to feel the hard clickable surface, and gently rubbed it across as his fingers bounced against the gaps of the buttons.

Looking up only a little bit showed him a computer screen with so much details and processes running simultaneously, it could almost make him pass out from his eyes bouncing around every image. Anything that was made and ever will be made, everything that was running and had to stay running was being checked, and so many applications that displayed graphs and details of all the coding that was creating upon itself in the world. Even the smartest of computer experts would have difficulty with the mass details shown on the screen.

And just beyond the small computer was again, the super-sized screen that kept track of everything, with camera positions placed throughout the world. The two screens were inter-connected, displaying the same info on both sides. It was perhaps the most impressive sight of technology the Stranger's eyes could ever behold.

But there was something even more beautiful to his eyes this current moment then any of the shiny objects that littered the room. One thing that was resting in the depths of his dreams, was now in front of him in reality.

On the computer screen, just as the Mad Man had mentioned, was the command prompt to shut down the server. The cursor was hovering over the red power button shown on the screen, with the white italic letters spelling '_Turn Off_' underneath the image.

One click is all it will take in order to win.

The Stranger chuckled and smiled widely. He made it. With the aid of the Tree Friends, the determined will to fight, the work of a well-made plan, and the heroic sacrifice of Flippy, the Stranger could now end it all and get everyone home. Just like he promised.

"This is it… time to go home…"

Looking over to his lower right, the Stranger noticed the black-colored mouse that was connected wireless to the computer. Though his arm and hand were trembling violently, he dropped his right hand on the mouse, keeping his index finger on the left pad.

Nodding his head, the Stranger looked forward at the screen one last time, just to make sure the cursor was over the shut off button. Smiling widely, and a tear slowly rolling down his left eye, the Stranger clicked the left pad on the mouse, activating the shut off button and closing the command prompt.

The Stranger leaned back and sighed, releasing a large sum of tired oxygen as he waited for the server come to a close. Closing his eyes as he looked up, he wondered exactly how the world would disappear. Would it be a flash of light, or would everything turn to darkness and they would wake up on the other side? Whatever the case, the Stranger could only feel relief and victory that it was over.

He then heard a tiny 'bing' sound coming from the computer screen. Making him jolt back into awareness, the Stranger opened his eyes and looked at the bright computer screen before him. He grunted lightly and tilted his head to the left slightly at the odd sight he was noticing on the screen.

A new command prompt was visibly shown on the screen, with a folder icon in the center. Looking closely, the words '_Open This_' were clear in white letters underneath the icon. Looking around the room, the Stranger was not noticing any difference occurring within the world, with no signs of the server shutting down and bringing him home.

Confused of the situation, the Stranger decided to lean forward and place his right hand on the mouse again, double-clicking the folder icon shown on the screen to see what was hidden inside.

A loading bar popped up, with a rapid labelling of billions of programs, files and software titles being loaded before his eyes. The Stranger's eyes could barely catch a glimpse of a single file name as the blue loading bar slowly came to an end, loading up every possible file and line of code to be accessed manually.

But before the loading bar disappeared, the Stranger noticed one last program on screen. It had the shape of a red power-button, and had a familiar title as a label.

The Stranger's eyes widened as he stared at the one file that controlled the entire status and infrastructure of the virtual world everyone resided in. He was confused as to why he was seeing such a file, why this one file was on screen right now when he already activated the shutdown command.

A box with the word '_Okay_' was highlighted, and, out of shock and confusion, the Stranger clicked the word, and was given one last prompt on the screen.

His heart was pounding out of his chest, his breaths hyperventilating at rates that could kill him from the lack of oxygen, and his body began to shake violently that the chair he sat on could topple over and send him to the floor.

His mind, though, was the most affected, as he could feel the angry blood-rush clogging his head. He gritted his teeth as a tight grasp was made on the mouse underneath his hand. As his anger grew, the deep feeling of sadness and loss was flowing through his already weakening heart.

The Stranger could only feel this way, as one more prompt came between him and a list of billions of files behind it.

_You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?_

The text disappeared, and a file explorer came up on screen, showing a scroll bar so unexplainably miniscule, that the cursor itself was larger at the tip. All the Stranger could see on were rows and rows of confusing titles for code and files, clouding up the screen in tiny words.

There was no search bar to find a specific file, no tools to order programs in a certain fashion, nothing that could aid him in any way.

And the one file he needed to get home was hidden within the billions of files. It was truly a situation of finding a needle in a haystack.

And this needle was his only chance of getting home.

"…"

"…"

"…no… no… no… NO!"

The Stranger released his hand from the mouse, formed a tight fist, and repeatedly hammered the desk in front of him, releasing every bit of rage inside of him.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

Tears slowly ran down the Stranger's face as he felt defeated again, all from a simple file being in his grasp and taken away in a blink of an eye. His fist stayed tight as he gritted his teeth firmly, almost crushing them.

"I was so close, so fucking close! It was going to end and now it's over!"

The Stranger breathed heavily as he closed his eyes and kept his head facing down at his dying legs. His body shook as tears dropped to the metal floor, echoing as they hit the metallic surface.

He sat silently for a brief moment, slowly dying away as his emotions removed his will and kill him for good.

"… no… no, I won't stop…"

The Stranger looked up sharply, and quickly reached for the cracked mouse with his right hand. He then looked at the bright screen, rubbing his eyes with his right shoulder as he took one long breath.

"I can still do this. I can't stop now, not when we are this close. I can still win this… I just have to keep fighting…"

He nodded his head, and with the cursor hovering over the scroll bar, the Stranger began searching every individual file on the screen, hoping to find the one file in time.

* * *

Using his weapons as picks and all of his upper body strength that was still intact from the impact, Evil slowly crawled out of the deep crater that was formed after crashing directly into the earth. Breathing heavily as he pushed himself up one last time, Evil dropped on his knees before laying his entire body on the dry ground. Falling hundreds of feet into the air and crashing into the ground was exhausting.

As Evil laid his body on the dirt, and rolled onto his backside and leaned his arms back, pushing himself up while still sitting down. Shaking his head to dust off some of the dirt that got stuck to the dry blood on his face, Evil noticed the large dirt cloud was deteriorating, beginning to reveal the death-filled land and atmosphere once more.

He chuckled for a bit as he finally got himself to sit up straight. Taking a second deep breath, Evil felt satisfied from performing such an excellent kill, perhaps his most death-defying one yet. He made his signature evil grin, revealing his blood-stained teeth that slowly dripped from his gums.

Evil dropped his smile as he looked down at the crater he just crawled out of, and made an alarming discovery. He instantly got up to his feet and picked up his knife and axe, holding them at the ready as he gasped at the sight.

The Mad Man's body was gone, with no crawl marks or anything showing he was there. Gritting his teeth in rage, Evil looked up and sharply searched around his proximity, trying to find where his prey could have run off to.

He faced forward through the dust cloud hovering above the crater, and smiled widely as he found him. With the dust cloud finally being whisked away into the air, Evil noticed the Mad Man standing on the opposite side of the crater, holding his katana blade on his right hand and with the blade sticking far out in front of him.

The Mad Man's cloak and cape were severely tattered, his cape breaking off from his clothes and flying off into the breeze. His dark cloak was covered in dirt, but the lower straps still fluttered against the air. His hair, like Evil's fur, was matted and stained in dirt, along with his face.

The Mad Man kept his face looking down, his eyes close while staying completely silent. Evil, while standing on his side of the crater, stood in an offensive position, holding his weapons out to his sides and ready to kill. The Mad Man, though, only chuckled softly, and spoke as he kept his head down.

"You know, Evil… you were my greatest creation. The day I had the power of a god, I knew that the one thing I wanted to do was control the power within a man, the internal strength that got be released from his sole and set forth to do my bidding. Creating you… a monster, was perhaps the most fun I ever had."

He looked up and smiled widely at Evil, who breathed deeply and never batting an eye away. "And you love it too, don't you? The strength you feel, the ability to control those around you with force. The power of a demi-god, unstoppable by physical means, it's all so satisfying whenever you see the fear in another man's eyes. You know that feeling more than any of my other subjects, for it's the purpose I designed you for. You… are just like me, my friend."

Evil stayed still in his place, trying his best to block out the Mad Man's words, but couldn't help but accept it. He knew he was a monster, he did enjoy the feeling of something dying by his hand, and the fear that he craved when his prey slowly whisked away into death. The power he felt made him feel unstoppable, a feeling that he craved so much for. He loved it greatly, and savored every bit of strength he had in his possession.

But… there was always that internal feeling that blocked his full intention. A feeling that told him, despite the power he was given, it was all wrong. Did he truly enjoy killing? Did he really want to murder everyone around him for fun? Was he really the evil creature he is today? So many questions clouded his mind during his actions, but he couldn't control for who he was.

And that was what made him the angriest. He had no control over who he was. He had no choice but to be forced to do what he does. This wasn't him doing it, this wasn't him enjoying the kills, or even the one doing the killings. Flippy was never the one to harm the innocents; Evil knew that for a fact.

Because he was Flippy. He was always Flippy, never this monster that everyone or himself sees. This was never him doing any of the hideous deeds ever performed by his hands.

It was the Mad Man. It was him that did this to him. It was him that made him the person he didn't want to be, to do the choices against his will. It was always his fault.

Which is why now, the sole reason why he did not bother to kill the Stranger.

Was because he wanted his revenge; revenge for his own life ripped away from him.

Evil tensed his body up and kept his weapons at the ready, continuing to look into the slanted eyes of the Mad Man. Noticing Evil not taking a single word from him into consideration, the Mad Man shook his head while letting out a heavy sigh.

"Evil… Flippy, or whoever the fuck you are, let me ask you something, something I would really love an answer to. This person, this… stranger you and everyone else has teamed up with. Tell me: do you really trust this stranger? He never existed here before, he just came here rather recently out of the blue, while you all have been in here for, what was it, about 10 years?"

Evil stayed at the ready as the Mad Man continued to speak. "You all faced torture for years, and yet he just comes by and faces only a fraction of it. He doesn't know the true pain you all face, nor truly understands anything. And yet, he says his full on intention is to free everyone. He promises to free you and all the innocent lives here, to defeat me, apparently, and leave this place without my consent."

The Mad Man leaned forward and smiled. "But are you sure that's his goal? You barely know this person; how can you trust him so easily? He could be, right now, preparing to kill you with the computer. Or, perhaps, planning all of this just to use you and your friends to help HIMSELF escape, leaving you all behind. You could all have been tools, and he used every one of you to fulfill his own needs. Think about it, Evil; can you really trust a stranger?"

As the Mad Man stood with his evil grin, Evil looked down at his feet pondering the question. It was only about three months that he and the Stranger became friends, and even then, mostly through wanting to achieve the goal of escaping. There was so much he did not know of the Stranger except that he was just another human like him. The Stranger to him was really… a stranger.

Evil's face turned into a confused look as he questioned himself. His friend look nice and caring enough to be trustworthy… but was it true? Was the Stranger really only thinking of himself, and using him right now just to escape? Could his friend really betray him so easily?

Despite all of these worrying questions, Evil shook them out of his head and stared back at the Mad Man once more. Being used or not, Evil only wanted to focus on the now, and right now, he wanted the Mad Man's head attached to the edge of a blade. He only wanted his revenge now; anything else was just a distraction.

Noticing Evil getting back into an attack position on the other side of the crater, the Mad Man sighed as gripped the handle of his katana firmly. He closed his eyes and nodded his head at Evil, removing his smile as he spoke calmly.

"I guess even a sadistic monster like you can fail to grasp reason. How typical and cliché."

Evil took a few steps back as he caught a glimpse of the Mad Man's feet slowly beginning to rise above the ground, his entire body starting to levitate off the earth. Bringing his axe and knife in front of him for a defensive position, Evil watched the Mad Man hover about ten feet off the ground, his foe now grasping his katana with both hands.

Now hovering in the air and his weapon at the ready, the Mad Man opened his eyes and spoke clearly.

"Well then… I guess I'll just have to persuade you in the only way I know we can both accept!"

The Mad Man stretched out his blade forward, and yelled with a loud echo.

_"En garde!"_

Evil bent his legs down before jumping quickly to the right as the Mad Man lunged forward with his katana, the blade pointed straight out like a spear. Evil barely dodged the attack as he rolled across the ground a short distance, swiftly getting back up to his feet to see the Mad Man still in the air with his katana raised.

He was shocked as he noticed the Mad Man instantly make a 180-degree spin and followed his attack with another forward lunge with his blade. Evil rolled to the right once more, again barely dodging the attack. Getting up to his feet, he bothered not to see the Mad Man, rolling to the left as his opponent came back with a third lunge.

Breathing heavily from the constant dodging, Evil noticed the Mad Man move his position in a circular motion by 90-degrees, lunging forward now at a different angle. Taking into the new position into account, Evil rolled left to avoid rolling back into the crater, and did this two more times as the Mad Man furiously tried to attack him.

Seeing that a forward lunge was ineffective, the Mad Man came only half-way in his fourth lunge, with Evil again rolling to the left. As Evil got back up, drawing his weapons at the ready, he quickly brought his axe and knife in front of him to guard him from the Mad Man's next attack.

Flying just overhead, the Mad Man proceeded to swing his katana violently all around him, up and down, left and right, and flailing his blade against the air. Evil constantly brought his weapons to his sides and above him, deflecting every swing that was performed above him. Despite his effective deflects, the massive force and rapid attacks were already draining his stamina, his strength in his arms having a hard time to stay sturdy with every blow.

Evil hopped back a few feet as the Mad Man came crashing down onto the ground, his katana blade facing downward as it struck deep into the earth, leaving small rolls of cracks from its area of impact. The Mad Man then drew his sword out of the ground swiftly, bringing it in front of him as he gritted his teeth in rage.

Cracking his neck while making a tight grip on his weapons, Evil ran forward to begin his attack on the Mad Man. His opponent brought his katana blade forward and, due to its sheer length, began to swing at Evil. Evil, though, was prepared for this attack and, with quick reflexes, noticed the aim of every swing and swiveled around each attach, getting closer to the Mad Man every step.

Before he could jumped back for safety, the Mad Man was faced with the close encounter of Evil, his axe swinging upwards at his torso. The Mad Man slid to the right, his left side getting graced by the attack, bringing small trails of blood to fling in the air.

Cringing out of anger and pain, the Mad Man swung his katana down, only to miss Evil by a centimeter. Using his slow attack to an advantage, Evil brought his right foot on the flat-side of the blade, and used the elevated position to lunge forward at the Mad Man with his knife.

The Mad Man leaned his head back, a move he regretted as it gave clear access to his soft neck. Sadly, Evil misjudged the move, and, though missing the weak point of the neck, was only able to slice at the left side of the Mad Man's cheek. Flying off behind the Mad Man's body, Evil rolled across the ground as he made contact to the earth, and spun around to face the Mad Man.

The Mad Man placed his left hand on the wound on his cheek, feeling the blood running down his face. He growled in rage as he noticed Evil make his signature dark grin, knowing he was causing more damage to him than anticipated.

Yelling at the top of his lungs, the Mad Man rapidly made fast and heavy attacks towards Evil, hoping to make at least some kind of physical contact. Evil, though, was too fast for him thanks to his small size, jumping back and forth while using his steel weapons to counter the katana, sparks of light being made as the clash of metal was made.

After a few deflects, Evil brought the knife and axe together to jam the swing of the Mad Man's katana, causing it to get stuck for a brief second. Using this time for an opening, Evil jumped upwards and used his legs to push against the blade, pushing both of them away from each other.

Rolling backwards and getting up to his feet, Evil noticed the Mad Man spin the katana blade in front of him before grasping the handle with both hands, holding it forward like a gun. He gasped as he noticed a large flaming ball slowly expand from the tip of the blade, growing in size that surpassed even the Mad Man.

Once the fierily ball reached its full potential, the Mad Man smiled and nodded his head. "Try and deflect this you son of a bitch!"

After his taunt was made, the Mad Man launched the fierily ball from the blade, traveling fast forward towards Evil. Evil's eyes reflected the orange glow from the ball… and smiled devilishly as he watched the flaming ball come in his direction.

Waiting for the right moment, when the ball was not even two feet in front of him, Evil performed a quick 360-spin with his axe, colliding dead center of the solid ball, and sending it back towards the Mad Man.

"WHAT?!"

The Mad Man yelled in shock as Evil successfully deflected the heavy flaming ball, and not off into a random direction, but directly back towards him. Acting quickly, the Mad Man brought up his katana blade and swung it forward, hitting center-mass on the ball, and sending it back towards Evil once more, this time with greater momentum.

Evil laughed loudly as the ball came flying towards him a second time, and repeated his previous move, hitting the ball and sending it back towards the Mad Man. The Mad Man gritted his teeth as he swung his blade and hit the ball a second time, each hit the two making causing it to speed up.

The two repeatedly hit the ball back and forth, swinging faster and faster after each consecutive hit. Even Evil himself was beginning to worry that he may become too slow to deflect, and come in contact with the explosive solid ball of fire. He knew he couldn't last like this forever; he needed to improvise.

With one last deflect coming from the Mad Man, the flaming ball was flying towards Evil. But instead of instantly swinging, Evil leaned his body forward and shoved his knife in front of him, forming the tightest grip on the rough handle.

He closed his eyes and tensed up his body as the flaming ball collided with the tip of the knife, the force of the impact slowly dragging Evil across the ground with his feet grinding against the dirt. He kept his knife in front of him as the flaming ball got attached to the tip of the steel blade, and suddenly came to a stop.

The Mad Man shook slightly as he noticed Evil successfully catch the ball with his knife, now in possession of a powerful weapon. He took a few steps back as he looked back at the devilish eyes of Evil, who made a small smirk and chuckle as he made a grip on the knife's handle with both hands.

The Mad Man gasped and prepared himself to jump back as Evil, while carrying the heavy ball with his knife, jumped high in the air, and, with one heavy swing, sliced downward with his knife, sending the giant ball of fire off the blade and flying towards the Mad Man at intense speed.

Jumping back at the last second, the Mad Man's body was thrown in the air as the ball impacted the earth, creating a violent fierily explosion. The Mad Man rolled across the ground while his body felt the massive shockwave from the explosion, making him slide across the ground before weakly landing back on his feet.

Evil landed back on the ground on both his feet, standing tall with his knife and axe laying against his sides. He marched forward, face down and eyes front, to the Mad Man, who angrily stood with a slight limp from the exhausting battle. Evil was pleased to see his opponent slowly lose its god-like strength; even gods can get tired from battle.

The Mad Man, though, refused to give up. He was an almighty being of strength and terror; to be taken down by a creature not even half his size was pathetic. This is not how he was going to let it end, and had one last move to perform.

"Alright, Evil, that's it! No more fooling around! You want to take me down so badly?! Fine, then let's see you take on this!"

Evil stopped in his march as the area around him and the Mad Man darkened, creating a black-and-grey overcast around them. He faced the Mad Man and readied his weapons as he noticed a purple mist slowly engulf the Mad Man as he levitated off the ground. Evil stood shocked as he could see the growing strength across the Mad Man's entire body, whose eyes also turned into a dark purple that even frightened him.

A spark of electricity formed around the Mad Man, and a glowing light began to emit around the edges of his katana blade, appearing as sharp as ever. All of the Mad Man suddenly became more powerful than ever, and was preparing for a rapid firing of attacks that surely even Evil could not avoid.

Standing at the ready, Evil watched the Mad Man fly straight towards him with his katana blade high in the air. Evil waited for the right moment, and when the Mad Man was in range of attack, jumped forward with his knife and axe faced forward.

The Mad Man performed a downward swing, its attack deflected off by Evil's axe. He then performed a left and right swing, which Evil ducked and hopped over respectively. The Mad Man finished his first sequence with a side and upwards swing, which Evil deflected as well.

Evil watched the Mad Man suddenly disappear in a ball of light, and instantly turned around in time to see his opponent appear from behind. The Mad Man came flying forward and started a rapid 360-degree sideway spin with his katana. Evil retaliated staying low and rolling across the ground, the blade swinging just above his hunched body.

The Mad Man then finished his second sequence with the same 360-degree spin of his blade, but instead from down to up. Seeing his direction changing in attack, Evil brought his weapons down to deflect the attack, only to be flung high in the air from the massive impact of their weapons colliding.

As Evil found himself in the air, he noticed the Mad Man disappear once more in a flash of light. Evil quickly looked left of his position in the air to see the Mad Man appear again, ready to swing his katana at him. Evil tensed his body up as he moved his body in the air while raising his knife, dodging the attack.

The Mad Man, angered from the first miss, disappeared and reappeared from a different angle, which Evil caught eye of and deflected the attack. Performing one more attack by appearing from a different angle, the Mad Man was again unlucky of making any contact with Evil, who constantly blocked his attacks.

Outraged, the Mad Man changed his attack by disappearing in a ball of light, jumping behind Evil while still in the air, and targeted him as he swung his katana at him while circling him in a counterclockwise rotation.

Evil repeatedly used both his axe and knife to deflect the incoming blows, their steel weapons clashing against each other while emitting small sparks off the edges. Once completing a 180-degree directional attack on Evil, the Mad Man attempted one last attack through a mid-air side swing with as much strength he could muster.

He, however, failed again as Evil brought his knife and axe to form an 'X' in front of him, deflecting the attack and only sending him back on his feet on the ground. Evil made a perfect landing, standing tall with only minimal reduction in his stamina. Despite the fast attacks, Evil was still standing strong and proud, and chuckled as the Mad Man stood dumbfounded at his foe still standing unscathed.

The Mad Man's jaw was dropped as he still hovered in the air looking at his opponent. His own creation, which was devised in his image, was match-too-match in his attacks. There was nothing he could throw at him that Evil could counter with. He was truly a monster of his caliber.

The Mad Man then looked up to see the tall tower behind Evil. Staring blankly at it for a brief moment, he realized that the Stranger was still inside the Control Room, and was now, at least his intention, searching for the file to escape. If the Stranger found the file, the Mad Man knew he was done for. He could not let the Stranger win; he was not going to let him win.

Looking back down at Evil, who stood at the ready, the Mad Man shook his head in short rapid motions. "Fuck it, I don't have time to play with the likes of you! When I take control again, you're the first person I intend to rid of… permanently!"

With that said, the Mad Man flew towards the tower behind Evil, going high up in the air to enter the giant hole made at the top of the tower. But before he flew all the way to his destination, he turned around to face Evil, still standing and watching his foe fly away from him.

The Mad Man made an evil smirk, and faced out the palm of his gauntlet towards Evil. "Here, why don't I leave you a little present as I finish the job?"

Evil stepped back as he watched a conjuration of multiple meteors emitting from the Mad Man's gauntlet, who slowly kept his aim on him while flying towards the tower. Knowing that simply dodging was not going to work, and that he still intended to kill his foe one way or another today, he made a plan that only either a complete idiot… or an insane monster would ever pull off.

Taking a few steps back, Evil ran forward and jumped high in the air, aiming his body straight towards one of the incoming meteors. Timing the moment, when Evil came in arms reach of the flaming rock, Evil swung his knife to the side in front of him.

With great skill and intense strength, Evil was able to cut the meteor in half, taking off a big chunk of the top half and leaving a flat walkable space underneath. Moving with unbelievable agility, Evil stepped on the meteor and jumped forward even higher in the air.

Aiming yet again for another meteor, Evil repeated his previous attack successfully, cutting the top half of the meteor off and leaving a flat space underneath, giving him a mid-air piece of land to step on and jump forward. He repeated this move dozens of times, never once losing his rhythm. Unknowingly to the Mad Man, Evil was right behind his tail, his intention for revenge giving him the skill needed to win.

Suddenly, the Mad Man seized the summoning of the burning rocks, and left Evil with one last one to work with. Seeing that he was just a jump away from the tower, Evil grinned as he sliced the meteor in half, stepped on the newly-made flat surface, and lunged forward high in the air at the tower with his knife and axe forward.

While not making his original target of the entrance at the top of the tower, Evil did attached himself to the metal wall of the tower with his knife and axe, driving deep into the hard surface. Dangling high in the air, Evil looked up to see he was just a mere six feet away from the entrance.

Nodding his head determinedly, Evil used his strength in his arms to make his weapons act as improved picks, pulling them out of the wall and hitting them back at the wall above him, slowly pulling him upwards as he made his ascent towards the entrance.

The cold wind was not of assistance to his risky climb, but amazingly, Evil successfully pulled himself up to the hole on the side of the tower, his axe hanging on the very edge of the room. With one deep breath and all of his strength being used, Evil hoisted himself up and placed his left arm on the floor before swinging his left foot to attach to the floor as well, getting a firm grip on edge of the room.

Finally, after a dangerous climb up the side, Evil now sat on his hands and knees on the top floor of the tower where he originally jumped out of, breathing heavily out of exhaustion. He swallowed his throat as sweat and blood dripped down his face. All he wanted to do was simply kill an old man; it was harder than anticipated.

The thought of his kill raised his awareness of the current situation, and Evil looked up to see the Mad Man standing in front of the destroyed keypad on the locked door, furiously trying to press the broken buttons in an attempt to open the double doors. Evil chuckled at the sight of his foe's pathetic struggle, and got up to his feet, making a loud whistle to grab the attention of the Mad Man.

The Mad Man's ears perked up, and he looked behind him to see Evil standing upright with a cocky smirk on his face. Aggravated at the sight, the Mad Man turned his body to face Evil, placing his hands at his sides while letting out a depressing sigh.

"Dear God, you're just like that Stranger; so stubborn and yet persistent. You two really never learn to just give, do you? How dreadful; I should learn how to counter such idiotic attitudes the next time someone decides to show up in my world."

Evil spun his weapons in front of his body and clashed them together, growling in a deep and dark tone as he showed his razor-sharp teeth to the Mad Man, who only shook his head at the sight.

"I honestly don't have the patience anymore, Evil. You want to strike me down, fine; come forth…"

Nodding his head at the polite command, Evil prepared to rush forward and strike down the Mad Man. Running forward, Evil brought his axe and knife in front of him, ready to slice open the stomach of the Mad Man and throw his organs across the room.

But he came to a stop as the Mad Man pushed out his left hand, revealing his special gauntlet and the glowing pad on the palm. Before Evil could react, a giant flash of light came from the glowing pad, and he found himself now trapped with a large sphere, preventing him from moving forward or back.

His eyes jolted around in an effort to find a way to escape, and yet he could find none. Evil's body tensed up as he suddenly noticed four glowing balls of white light forming above him on the corners of the sphere. He hopped around, looking at the balls of light slowly take the form of machinegun turrets in a digital hologram look.

Evil took a quick glance at each gun pointed at him before looking at the Mad Man who stood with a sadistic smile. He looked up again as he heard the sound of the machineguns reeving up and loading the chambers with ammunition, making him pant in fear as Evil realized he was placed in a trap that will surely kill him.

He gritted his teeth and faced the Mad Man, who slowly raised his left arm high in the air while forming a tight fist. As Evil watched the Mad Man keep his arm in the air, he could hear the machineguns moving their barrels to hover over his body. There was no escape from this; it was impossible for him to dodge the bullets in such a small amount of space.

Evil closed his eyes and calmed his state of mind, readying himself to be pounded with a barrage of metal rounds. His body was relaxed and his mind empty. He breathed slowly as sound slowly became absent from his ears, and everything was silent.

The Mad Man dropped his left arm, and yelled loudly. "FIRE!"

One of the machineguns fired off a single round, travelling straight towards the soft flesh of Evil's head. The bullet was breaking through the cold air in the sphere, a slow trail being left behind as it traveled at a speed fast enough to shoot the limbs off any man.

Evil opened his eyes sharply, and, without looking, brought his knife up in front of him. With either unbelievable luck or pure skill, Evil deflected the bullet, sending it off in a different direction and rebounding off the walls of the sphere.

Another one of the machineguns fired a round, and Evil move at a speed uncatchable to the eye while successfully deflected the bullet with his axe. The two deflected rounds were now rebounding off the inner walls of the sphere, Evil leaning his body back and forth as they whisked by him.

All weapons then began to fire, all attempted to take Evil down. Evil, though, began to rush, dodge, jump, duck, and lean around the small amount of room in the sphere while spinning both his axe in knife in opposite directions. Any bullet that came almost in contact of him either missed him by a millimeter or was deflected off the metallic surface of his weapons. Each gun was firing hundreds of bullets a minute, and yet Evil was avoiding every one of them.

The Mad Man shook his head while forming tight fists in both his hands. He panted as his eyes widened while trying to observe the movements of Evil.

"No… no, no, no NOOOOOO! JUST DIE!"

Evil laughed sadistically as he constantly moved around, avoiding any bullet that ejected out of the barrels of the machineguns above him. For almost an entire minute Evil spent his god-like skill of speed and agility to dodge and deflect the incoming rounds; he was truly unstoppable.

Finally, with an uncountable amount of bullets bouncing around the area that enclosed him, Evil performed one final move. Twisting his body to the right, Evil brought both his knife and axe to stretch outwards, and carried out a 360-degree spin.

The Mad Man covered his face and ducked down to the floor as the sphere he created was suddenly shattered by the hundreds of bullets, breaking into multiple pieces like shattered glass. The bullets shot out and either stopped from the lack of momentum or stuck inside the walls of the room, plastering everything with small holes.

Chattering his teeth in shock, the Mad Man looked up to see an exhausted but still strong Evil in the center of the room. He shook his head at the impossible sight of the monster surviving such an attack, and stood up shaking as Evil kept his eyes on him. The Mad Man felt defeated at the sight.

Unfortunately, victory would bestow the Mad Man, as Evil, after using every bit of strength he had in his final minutes, could no longer take it. Evil's eyes became baggy, and his arms dropped to his sides as his weapons fell to the floor, his body slowly coming with them. He collapsed face first to the white floor, landing heavily and too weak to fight anymore. Despite the strength he originally had, he just could not bear the stress he was placing on his body.

He was defeated.

The Mad Man smiled evilly, drawing out his katana as laughed sadistically. Evil could see through his heavy eyes as the Mad Man pointed the outrageously long blade at his head, seeing his reflection off the metallic surface. He breathed slowly as he only thought of the pain he would feel from being struck down by the cold steel of the Mad Man's blade.

The Mad Man then turned around swiftly and sliced at the double doors behind him, a loud slicing sound of a blade breaking the air itself in its swing. Evil could see the double doors break in half, falling off and revealing the Control Room. The Mad Man stood tall, and spoke loudly, though Evil's body was too weak to even catch the sound of his own breaths.

He closed his eyes, and spoke softly to himself.

"…Hurry…"

* * *

The Stranger was frantically scrolling down the menu on the screen of the computer, his eyes bouncing around every possible file he could see in hopes to find that one file he needed in order to win. Despite all of the time he was given to search for the file, he barely was even able to search a single percent of the possible files and lines of code, and those excluded the ones with multiple files within them.

As he kept his right hand on the mouse, he spoke at a fast and erratic pace.

"Come on, where the hell is it?! It's got to be-"

The Stranger stopped speaking as he heard a loud slashing sound from behind him. His eyes opened widely while he gasped in fear, his head shaking violently as he was too scared to even think what was behind him.

He could hear the double doors breaking apart, and falling down onto the floor with a heavy force, shaking the entire room. The Stranger gulped as sweat began flowing down his beaten face. His heart was pounding out of his chest while the oxygen in his lungs started to dry out, almost making him pass out.

The Stranger then went dead silent as he heard that sadistic voice he feared of hearing.

"TIME'S UP, STRANGER!"

Not daring to look back, the Stranger went back to searching the files on the screen of the computer, praying to God above that something good would save him from this. He couldn't lose, he just couldn't lose now. His chance of freedom was right underneath him fingertips; he couldn't just see it be taken away from him again.

The Stranger yelled in fear as he felt the back of his neck be grabbed by the strong hands of the Mad Man, being lifted high in the air and carried away from the computer.

"NO! NOOOOOOO!"

The Mad Man made his sadistic laugh as he held the Stranger by the throat with his left hand and grasped his katana in his right hand. The Stranger was bawling in tears as he looked down at the Mad Man, who gave him a smile that frightened him to the core.

The Mad Man raised his katana to have its blade rest at the soft open area of the Stranger's stomach. The Stranger held his breath in to bring his stomach away from the sharp blade, its tip already causing a cut to appear on his body.

The Stranger shook his head while he closed his eyes, and heard the Mad Man speak one last time.

"It seems you're out of cards, Stranger! Well, I still got one more for you!"

The Mad Man brought his blade back and grasped the handle tightly.

"It was fun playing with you, Stranger… and it feels so good to have won!"

The Mad Man finished his move by lunging the katana forward, its blade being inserted straight through the Stranger's abdomen and out the other side. Blood splattered everywhere as the Stranger's internal organs were pierced open, ripping in pieces as his entire body rested between the cold steel of the katana.

The Stranger choked and gagged as blood ran out of his mouth. His head slowly began to lean down while his eyes became heavy, rolling back behind his skull as his eyelids came to a close. The gagging got more and more silent as his body became cold and limp.

His body made one final twitching movement… and the Stranger was finally dead.

The Mad Man, seeing the Stranger lie dead on his blade, used his left hand to pull the dead body of the Stranger and drop it onto the floor, his organs falling and splattering across the floor. As the cold body of the Stranger laid against the metal floor, the Mad Man chuckled softly as he gave the dead body a soft kick, making sure his death was certain.

The Mad Man nodded his head, and took one deep breath as he dusted off the dry blood from his shoulder.

"Well… so that's what I'm going to look like when I'm dead."

The Mad Man's eyes opened widely and gasped at the sound of the voice. His body trembled and his eyes jolted around as his mind tried to register the sound his ears had just picked up. It was shaking him to his very core.

"No… impossible…"

The Mad Man swiftly turned around and looked at the ground.

There, right in front of him, was a pair of feet…

Human feet.

His eyes followed upwards of the white body, and when he look straight forward, standing there, eye to eye to him, was another man. The man before him had medium-length grey hair, just above his eyebrows and the back of his neck. His brown eyes reflected the look of the Mad Man that stood before him, and his smile scared the Mad Man to death.

There was no doubt in the Mad Man's eyes. No matter how impossible the sight was, there was only once answer.

This was the Stranger.

"Hey there, you little shit."

Not even taking a second to think, the Mad Man attempted a downward swing with his katana, only to miss the Stranger and have his arm be grasped tightly and have its bones snapped in half as the Stranger forcefully brought his fist down, making the Mad Man screech in pain and drop his weapon.

Before he could react, the Mad Man found himself placed in a choke hold, completely enclosed in the hands of the Stranger and unable to move on his own. With the Stranger's right arm choking his neck, the Mad Man tried to speak while trying to grasp for air.

"This is impossible! You can't be alive! I killed you right in front of me! The only way you could have survive is if you were a… were a…"

To help answer the Mad Man, the Stranger brought him to the computer screen which had a big box detailing multiple pieces of information of the current Administrator of the server, including name, basic health details, authorized commands, and many other minor details describing the god-like Host. Nothing was out of place in the eyes of the Mad Man.

Except for one very important detail that made him shake in horror. Under the box labeled '_Name_,' there was one detail missing.

It was the Stranger's name, not his.

His god-like powers were no longer his… but now the Stranger's.

"No… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The Stranger, smiling at the Mad Man's realization of his defeat, threw the Mad Man's body onto the floor far from his position, making him hit the metal surface face first as he screamed in utter defeat. As he watched his foe cry in failure, the Stranger looked down to see the sharp blood-stained katana, and instantly went for the handle, gripping it in his right hand.

The Mad Man banged his hands against the metal floor, yelling furiously in the room. "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! I'm the god of this world, I AM! I should be the victor! This was MY GAME, MY WORLD! How can I be beaten by some pathetic stranger, HOW?!"

The Mad Man stopped speaking as he looked over to see the Stranger, now in his human form, standing tall above him. Before he could get up and run away, the Stranger grabbed a thick piece of his cloak around his neck, and lifted him up to face him.

The Stranger's face lacked any expression as he held the blade of the katana against the Mad Man's abdomen. He never once blinked, nor bat an eye away from the Mad Man. The Mad Man did everything he could do to break free, but the Stranger's young and strong body, as well as obtaining the powers of the Administrator, were overcoming his feeble body. The only thing he could do was look back at the Stranger, who slowly began to drive the blade at his stomach.

As he felt the sharp tip of the katana pierce the outer folds of his stomach, the Mad Man spoke angrily while his head shook violently. "STRANGER! Before you end my reign and kill me, let me give you one last warning…"

The Stranger chuckled as he shook his head before shrugging his shoulders. "Go ahead, speak; it won't change a thing."

The Mad Man stood silent briefly, before speaking calmly with a sadistic smile. "Stranger… this battle now may have turned into your favor, you may have one this battle today, but know this, Stranger: even with my death, I still have one last card to play, and I can assure you, it will make me the victor in the end."

The Stranger laughed quietly as he held the Mad Man tightly. "Oh really? And what is this card of yours?"

"When the time comes, Stranger, you'll know… I just hope that you're prepared for it when that day comes."

The two stared silently at each other, their eyes looking deeply into each other blankly. The Stranger then jerked the body of the Mad Man forward, holding him tightly as he leaned his face in.

"It was nice playing with you, you bloody son of a bitch."

The Mad Man shook his head and chuckled softly. "Same."

With their final words said, the Stranger jammed the blade of the katana straight into the stomach of the Mad Man, puncturing through his intestines and other vital organs. When the katana finally got stuck and could not be pushed any further, the Stranger let go of his grip on both the handle and the Mad Man, pushing them away from him.

The Mad Man wobbled back a few steps, blood dripping from his mouth and pouring out of his stomach. He tried to speak, but his mouth was drowning in his own crimson blood. As his body trembled and became weak, the last thing the Mad Man could do was shake his head and make one last chuckle, closing his eyes as he collapsed onto his knees before falling on his right side.

And, with one last exhale from his mouth, it was over.

A god was killed… and a new one had risen.

The battle was over, truly over… and the victory was in the Stranger's favor.

The Stranger stood silently over the dead body, the cold air in the room making his hair flow with the breeze. His body was stained with the gushes of blood that squirted out of the Mad Man's stomach, but it did not faze him. He only stood tall with a blank stare at the man that forcefully trapped him in the world. His mind was empty, and had no idea what to do next.

He snapped back into reality as heard tiny footsteps enter the room. The Stranger looked up and made a small grin as he noticed Flippy enter the room. His emerald eyes were now back into their dark-green state, and, despite his majorly damaged body, Flippy look as alive as ever, with a victorious smile on his face while walking towards the Stranger.

Holding his left side with his right arm, Flippy limped forward a few steps while looking up at the Stranger, who returned with a friendly smile of his own. Flippy then stopped as he now stood over the dead body of the Mad Man, his feet now standing in a pool of blood that flushed out of the open wounds of the Mad Man.

Flippy nodded his head slowly. "So… the bastard is finally dead now, huh?"

Flippy's face showed confusion, and he tilted his head as he looked across his body, patting across himself in a curious manner. He then looked up at the Stranger, who was smiling and making a silent laugh.

Flippy's eyes widen as he smiled. "Did… am I… speaking clearly now?!"

The Stranger nodded his head. "I made a few changes while I was at the computer. What do you think?"

Flippy brought his left hand to his chin, and rubbed it slowly. "Well… honestly… I thought it sound a little deeper than this."

The two laughed at the comment, enjoying the victorious moment together. Flippy then stopped as he looked at the Stranger before facing away with his eyes close. The Stranger seized his laughter as he looked at Flippy, who was doing his best to look away.

"Flippy, what's wrong? This is what I look like."

"I know that; it's just…"

The Stranger was confused at Flippy's slow response, and wrapped his arms in front of him. "Come on man, speak up."

Flippy attempted to answer by pointing at him, hoping to answer the Stranger without saying a word. It did not work.

"Flippy, come on man, I gave you a voice so I could hear you now. So just tell me what's bothering you."

"You're dick is hanging out, man."

The Stranger's face instantly turned red as he looked down to notice his body was completely naked, his genitals clearly visible. Completely feeling embarrassed, the Stranger covered his private areas with his hands and looked around the room sharply for anything he could wear to cover it up. Despite the search, the only thing the Stranger could fine in the lines of clothing was the dirty cloak of the Mad Man that laid dead before him.

Feeling disgusted by it, the Stranger bent down and ripped a chunk of the cloak off the Mad Man's body, and wrapped it around his lower waist to, at best, cover his frontal area completely. Making a tight knot behind him, he patted it down to make sure his genitals were no longer visible, and placed his hands at his side.

"All right, you can look now."

Flippy turned around and faced the Stranger. Confusing to the Stranger, Flippy was giggling to himself as he shook his head. "What's so funny?"

Flippy wrapped his arms and spoke clearly. "Cold in here?"

"Fuck off, man!"

Flippy laughed loudly as the Stranger rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Shaking his head, the Stranger walked forward while beckoning Flippy. "Come on, let's take a good view of the scenery."

"Right behind you."

The two walked out of the Control Room together, leaving the body of an evil god behind, and to face a fresh new world.

* * *

_**Special Thanks to the Following Supporters to this point:**_

_**ashdash2417**_

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_**And every reader who took the time to read and review!**_

_**Those whose names are in italics and with underlines are also authors of their own Happy Tree Friends fictions, all of them really great! Since you guys have show me support, I ask you to also check these authors out; they deserve all the support they can get for supporting me!**_


	22. Ch 17: Dawn

**Chapter 17**

**Dawn**

* * *

The atmosphere was cold, with a quiet chilling breeze blowing through the room. The area was destroyed with the markings of swords slashing against metal, and bullets that pierced through the thick walls, leaving small holes in their trails. At the end of the room was one large gaping hole, letting in a cold breeze while also giving a clear view of the world outside.

From the room opposite of the hole were two figures walking side to side. One was a tall pale man, standing at around six feet tall. His white skin was mixed with his grey hair that rested on top of his head, hanging above his eyebrows. His eyes were a dark-brown, which reflected off the florescent light in the room he walked in. The only pair of clothing, though, was a ripped piece of a tattered cloak tied around his waist, hiding his personal area from public view.

Next to him was a creature half his size. A green bear, who currently wore a shredded BDU jacket stained with dry blood, was limping by the pale man's side, holding his own left side with his right arm. Though in pain, the bear was smiling proudly as he looked up to the man next to him, both of them walking towards the hole in the wall in the next room.

These two figures were, respectively, the Stranger and Flippy.

And they were the sole survivors of the final battle.

After a few more steps, the Stranger and Flippy stood at the very edge of the tower, staring straight out to the world far beneath them. They both drew in a long breath, filling their lungs with the cool and fresh air. They then sighed in relief, both of them relaxing their tense bodies by letting them flow with the wind coming through the gap in the wall.

The Stranger looked down at his feet to see he was standing directly beside the ledge. His legs feeling weak and tired, he slowly brought his body down and sat comfortably by the ledge, letting his feet and legs dangle off the side. Flippy followed suit, letting his body relax on the ledge.

The two stared out to the world in front of them silently, only taking in small amounts of breath when needed. Despite how the world was still riddled with death, it somehow felt more… peaceful. With a mad god killed, the world felt more at peace than it had ever been before. The air felt fresh, and the world had an aura of a rebirth. Everything felt different.

And it was the best feeling the two ever had.

After sitting down on the ledge silently for a couple dozen minutes, Flippy chuckled quietly, hoping to find a way to break the awkward silence. The Stranger, though, had the same thought, and decided to speak up.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Flippy smiled as he looked forward into the world. "Yeah… sure is peaceful…"

Silence between the two was made again briefly, both of them wondering how to bypass the time with some kind of conversation. There were so many questions and things that could be said, but where to start?

Flippy leaned his body forward, and turned his head to look up and face the Stranger. "So… what happened?"

The Stranger looked down to his left with a confused expression. "What happened?"

Flippy gestured his head back to the Control Room they both walked away from. "What happened in there? Why are we still here? Wasn't the plan supposed to go in there, find something to get us out, and leave? What exactly went wrong?"

The Stranger shrugged his shoulders as he attempted to find the answer to Flippy's important question. After a brief moment of thinking, the Stranger decided to just speak his mind.

"Well… you're right, it was supposed to go down without a problem… though obviously some complications arise that caused some difficulty with our situation."

Flippy kept his attention on the Stranger, never looking away. "Like what?"

"When I got inside the tower, after going through a shit ton of fighting, I found that guy over there" The Stranger turned around shortly to point out the dead body of the Mad Man, who still laid in his own pool of crimson blood.

"This whole time, this entire world and its problems were being managed by him. All I wanted to do was kill him the moment I saw him, for all the pain and suffering he has put us through. But… he was a unique person, I give him that, so… I was curious."

Flippy sat up straight while crossing his arms. "What was curious about him?"

"Besides the sick and sadistic attitude that made up this crazy bastard, he was possibly the smartest man I have ever met. This entire world, his devised plan on capturing everyone, his planned goals, everything, this guy had it all figured out. I was dumbfounded at how much this man knew, at his possible abilities of creating such a world with today's technology. What he pulled off… was mesmerizing."

Flippy tilted his head with a confused expression. "So his sick machine and murders was mesmerizing to you?"

The Stranger shook his head. "No, that never intrigued me a bit. What he did and how he used his machine is inexcusable. But still… what he created was still a work of art; it was still something that you could only find inside the pages of a comic book or from a film. The only problem was his sick and demented mind that became his passion for his creation. Unlimited power… the ability to act as God… it consumed his personality. Was he a good man before? That I never found out. But what his machine gave him was obviously too much for him, and he became the twisted god we all knew…"

Flippy nodded his head in agreement. "So he created a world that was beyond imagination and had it all figured out in how to make it work and capture us… so what happened after that?"

The Stranger let out a soft sigh. "I killed him. A bullet to the head was all it took to kill the son of a bitch once and for all… at least, that's what I originally thought." He turned around again and faced the dead body of the Mad Man. "You can see how that turned out."

As Flippy turned to face the dead body of the Mad Man, the Stranger turned to face Flippy once more. "Turns out, he planned for that to happen as well. He knew I was going to try and kill him, and he knew he would survive anyway… because I did not take into the fact that he was basically a god, and gods can't be taken down so easily by physical means. He was just waiting all this time to make me look stupid and prepare to kill me from the start. I was set up… because of my ignorance and inability to stop."

Flippy looked back at the Stranger with a worried expression from hearing his last sentence. He noticed the Stranger closing his eyes briefly before taking in a large breath before exhaling. The Stranger nodded his head and kept his eyes forward on the world beneath him.

"So we tussled for a bit, I lost, and he beat the living shit out of me, making me just wish to be killed. I was sure that, right then and there, that I failed in the end, that I was going to die and never see the light of day once more. But then…"

The Stranger looked down at Flippy. "But then you came…"

Flippy looked at himself for a moment with a serious expression, wondering where the conversation was going to go.

"Flippy… exactly, how did you get to me?"

Flippy looked up at the Stranger, who spoke up one last time. "I would like to know. I mean, I saw you fight Shadow Evil in front of my own eyes, saving me from the brink of death, and go off. I tried speaking to you, but your radio had died and I had no contact to you, thus I assumed you died. Not even that, the door to the tower was jammed shut, with no way to enter. So how in the hell did you make it up here?"

Flippy rubbed his chin with his right hand and chuckled softly. "Well… technically I did die."

The Stranger looked surprised by Flippy's comment before Flippy explained his answer in detail. "You see… after he stabbed me repeatedly and left me to bleed out, I had this feeling that something inside of me was trying to break out, this creature that was trapped in a cage and, with my death, was now opened and it was finally free. I had this feeling multiple times, but only when I was reminded of my past. This time, though, it just came out…"

Flippy looked up to the sky above him and nodded his head. "I guess when that thing killed me, that's who he killed: me. But there was still that second me, Evil, resting inside. So when I died, Evil was still alive, and he took over my dying body for me. Kind of like a second life that decided to continue the fight without me… heh…"

The Stranger, while understanding his answer, was still confused. "So you survived because of Evil… exactly, then, how did you get inside when the door was closed?"

Flippy looked up to the Stranger and shrugged his shoulders. "You see, that's the weird part. Initially, I saw those doors close on you, preventing me from coming inside to help you. I tried finding a way in, but never did… and then… it just opened."

The Stranger leaned back, his eyes widening from the answer. "The door… opened? On its own?!"

Flippy nodded his head. "Yep; one moment, the door was closed. The next, it just opened. I don't recall doing anything special, it just opened in front of me." Flippy looked forward to the world. "So, instead of questioning it, I took the opportunity to go inside, went up the elevator, ran down the hall, and there you were, about to be killed. Couldn't let that happen now, could I? Not when we were so close."

The two smiled as Flippy nodded his head. "So yeah, that's how it happened. My doppelganger came out to fight after my death, and the door magically opened. How I'm still standing now is an unexplainable miracle, but… that's my story on this."

The two friends sat silently for a moment again, before Flippy came up with another question. "So you answered my question about what happened initially, I understand that now… but, now I ask you, how are YOU still alive? If he killed you, and you failed to get us out of here, then why are you still here… and in your… well, regular self?"

The Stranger smiled as he looked at Flippy. "Well… it's like this. When you threw me into the Control Room, I went over to the computer in hopes that the Mad Man had set up the application to shut down the world. Obviously he never did and instead opened up a large file list that contained EVERY single line of created code and every file containing either important or useless information. To make it worst, there was no search command nor any way to sort it out. I was left with one huge screen of billions, perhaps trillions, of files, and the one I needed was hidden somewhere randomly. Again, it was all planned by him; he knew what to do all along."

The Stranger looked behind him at the computer for a moment, then faced Flippy again. "I knew in my mind that you would never be able to defend me long enough to find the file and get us home, it just wasn't going to happen. So, while I frantically searched the files, I came up with a second plan that could greatly aid the first."

Flippy crossed his arms. "And what plan was that?"

The Stranger gave a tiny smirk towards Flippy. "I needed more time. I wouldn't find it today, but perhaps another. But I needed a way that could help me give the time I need, something to survive long enough to fight and find the file, while still stopping that insane scientist. So… I came across one file on the list that I knew for certain would give me the time I need."

Flippy kept his attention on the Stranger as his friend spoke. "The file, titled _administrative settings_, had all of this information on the current Administrator of this world, who, at the time, was him. It had every possible information and command that an Administrator could perform, including name, health, status of the server… and the ability to grant Administrator status to any Host."

The Stranger pointed to himself with his right index finger. "You can tell who I picked to be the next Administrator."

Flippy dropped his jaw in shock, and pointed at the Stranger and the dead body of the Mad Man a few times. "So… you switched places with him?!"

"That's exactly it. I used the settings to remove his status as Administrator and give myself the rights, practically making me the god of this server and him just a basic Host. Anything he had before, I took it away and made it my own. He was as weak as ever, becoming just like my previous self."

Flippy chuckled lightly before having a worried expression on his face, turning to face the dead body of the Mad Man. "So wait… does this mean he'll come back when everything resets again?"

The Stranger shook his head. "Call me sadistic, but when I gained control of the world, I decided to make a few changes while I was at it. While the first was giving all users the possibility of using English in speech, and give myself my original form, I also took the liberty to handle the life support systems on the outside. To put it simply, I removed the life support system on that bastard, meaning that when he died in this server, the life support would not prevent his body from failing. Nope… he won't be coming back to harm us… or anyone else in the world ever again."

The two stared at each other with a smile on their faces, and Flippy nodded his head while shrugging his shoulders. "So… that's what happened? You made yourself God and killed the original. We all get to live another day, and we will forever live it without the problems it had before. That's how it ends, huh?"

The Stranger looked forward at the world along with Flippy. "Yep… that sounds about right."

As the two stared at the world in front of them, they both could see the rising sun in the distance, its orange glow creating a colorful tint across the land. Even if the land itself was a dreadful site, the sun itself was majestic.

Leaning his hands back on the floor behind him, Flippy spoke while still looking at the sun. "So what happens now? What do we do now?"

The Stranger was silent for a moment, pondering the question. What do they do now? They took down the Mad Man, so what was next on the list? The Stranger, thinking of an answer, turned behind him to look at the computer inside the control room, shrugging his shoulders at the sight.

"I guess we just keep fighting. That file is in there somewhere, so I just got to keep looking. I got all the time in the world now to search for it, and we're not going anywhere soon, so… yeah, just keep searching until we find the key."

Flippy looked down for a moment, then looked up to the Stranger again. "How long do you think that will take, to find ONE file that is resting among TRILLIONS of others?"

The Stranger faced Flippy with a serious expression. "I… I don't really know how to answer that. The list is in random order; I could find the file in the next hour, maybe a few days. Or I could be sitting behind that desk for years to come until I find it. I could try setting up an automatic search if it has one, but even then, it could be years until it picks up a file of a similar name."

Flippy looked down with a disappointed look. He was tired living in this world. Even if the troubles may not persist anymore, he still rather be in his own real home rather than a virtual one. Still… he could at least agree to the fact that it could be worse, which made him smile.

"I guess we just wait and see what happens then… meh, I didn't have plans the next few years anyway."

The two laughed together, keeping their spirits up with a positive attitude despite how dreadful the situation could be. While the Stranger kept his smile, Flippy looked down at the world beneath him, which made him seize his laughter, and rather feel internally depressed.

With close observation, Flippy could see the hundreds of dead bodies that failed to make it alongside him and the Stranger. Among those dead bodies were all of his friends, good people who were sadly faced with the brutal reality of death. He sighed sadly at the sight, almost making him drop a tear from his left eye.

The Stranger noticed Flippy's depression, and placed his left hand on Flippy's right shoulder. "Hey, Flippy, what's wrong?"

Flippy was silent before speaking, still staring at the bodies below. "And what about them…?"

"Who?"

Flippy gestured his head to the area beneath the tower, showing the Stranger the massive pile of the dead. "Them, our friends. Cuddles, Pop… Flaky… none of them made it." He swiftly turned his head to face the Stranger. "They died… so does that… does that mean they-"

"Yep, that's exactly it." The Stranger did not want to hear any more of Flippy's question, but had to continue his response, despite how much it killed him inside. "They died before the server could reset the counter for the next day. That means everything that happened before this day will be completely erased from their memories, returning back to their default state."

"Everything?"

The Stranger took the word in with agony. Everything. Any moment shared together, every day that was survived is now gone forever. Any moment he shared with Flaky, all the times they were together… and the night before the battle… was gone… lost in the void and to never return.

Everything was forgotten.

"Yeah… everything… only you and I will remember this moment and the times before it… everyone else… it'll be nothing more than waking up from a forgettable dream."

The two stayed silent, looking down at their friends below. While Flippy stayed strong, the Stranger sniffled his nose as a tear dropped from his right eye. He closed his eyes and tried his best to hold back his emotions from being shown, but Flippy didn't had to look to know the Stranger was hurt. He knew about how much Flaky meant to him, and how even the others were good people in his eyes. He could relate to the pain easily… but again, his pain was nothing more than a imaginary setup on his character. The Stranger's pain… was real.

But Flippy was stunned when the Stranger spoke up. "But perhaps… it is better they forget."

Flippy looked at the Stranger, shaking his head while his eyes widened. "W-What do you mean it is better they forget?! Everything we fought for together is forgotten; they'll think this is the real world again, believing in a false reality again! How is that any better?!"

The Stranger sighed as he spoke calmly. "Because maybe it is best that they do believe, at least for now, that this is real, that this is their home. Like I said, it could take years before I find the file to get us home. Do you really think it would be easy for them just to wait for years on end thinking that they're in a false world, just dying inside everyday to get home while being forced to wait, never having the feeling of fun because they know it's not real? Should they really have to suffer through the pain all over again, and suffer it for years to come?"

Flippy stayed silent as the Stranger looked at him, then looked down at his dangling feet without making a sound. The Stranger, worried if he insulted him, explained his answer.

"I know they should have the right to know that their real home is out there and not here, but right now, we have no ability to get there. So to know that truth and hold onto it for years, just waiting every day, they suffered through that long enough. By thinking this home is real, they'll wake up happy, living in a world without fear. I just… I just think it is better that they had died and will forget because now… those bad memories… are gone too. The pain they would feel… is no longer there… do you understand what I'm saying?"

Flippy nodded his head silently, not responding with words. The Stranger picked up the hint, but did not smile in response. Instead, he looked forward at the rising sun, slowly crawling above the horizon and revealing its yellow rays.

After a few more minutes of sitting, Flippy decided to stand back up on his feet, brushing his tuft of fur on his head down and patting his shredded coat. "So what's the next thing on our list?"

The Stranger, seeing Flippy getting up, did the same and stood up straight, having to look down at Flippy due to the bear's short stature. "Well… I guess the first thing is wait for the clock to reset. Once it's fully daytime, everything we see will return back to its original state. Everyone will wake up at home, the destruction will be repaired, this tower will be disguised as a giant tree again, and everything will be the way it was before. It'll still be winter time, so I recommend dressing warm."

Flippy nodded and stood still silently, rubbing his chin with his right hand while making a smile. The Stranger noticed and placed his hands on his sides. "What are you thinking?"

Flippy crossed his arms in front of his torso and shrugged his shoulders. "Well… since you now control this world now… I was wondering if you could do a few things for us."

The Stranger chuckled as he nodded his head. "Alright, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, for starters, how about changing this," Flippy took both his hands and gestured his entire body, "back into its original form? I'm kind of tired being a cute little woodland critter living in what would be a children's cartoon."

The Stranger laughed loudly as Flippy grunted in agitation. "What? You don't like looking like a cute little Care Bear?"

Flippy rolled his eyes as the Stranger shook his head. "Don't worry, Flippy; I got a laundry list of many things I plan to do to fix this place up. I got a big mess to clean, but I can assure you that it's all going to turn out fine in the end."

Flippy sighed. "I sure hope so… you don't think you'll turn insane too, though, do you?"

The Stranger made a smirk while looking around. "I… may play around with a bit just for a few laughs, but those days of facing death every day is over. In fact, death is never going to happen ever again while I'm here to watch over you guys. You're like my little children in my playground, and I got to make sure each of you is happy and taken care of."

Flippy shook his head with a serious expression. "Please don't call me your child."

The Stranger crossed his arms and nodded his head. "Okay, fine, I won't."

Flippy snorted at the Stranger's remark… and then looked worried again. "And… well… about my… disorder-"

"Forget about it, Flippy. If there is one I also learned from that son of a bitch, is that you and everyone else's problems have been completely exaggerated. With a few tweaks, that monster of yours will never see the light of day again. You may… have your moments, but you can sleep easy at night now knowing you'll never live another day in fear of hurting others. You're a good man, Flippy, and I can guarantee it will stay that way from now on."

Flippy smiled widely at the Stranger, nodding his head in excitement of the good news. "Thanks; it really means a lot."

"Anything for a friend, Flippy."

Flippy responded with a slight chuckle, and the two looked at each other briefly in a silent manner. He then squinted his eyes as the sun was rising higher above the horizon, its rays making it hard for him to see.

Flippy grunted and nodded his head. "Well… I'm sure this world is about to reset any minute… I'd best go home now and wait before everyone wakes up."

The Stranger nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you do that. I'll stay here and work on the main settings of the world, try to make it just like home while starting the search for the file."

Flippy smiled and waved his right hand to him. "Alright, man, good luck!"

As Flippy began to turn around and walk off, he was stopped by the Stranger's right hand on his shoulder. Confused, he turned around and faced him. "What is it?"

"Flippy… while I'm up here… can I ask a favor from you… w-well, two favors actually."

Flippy turned his body to face the Stranger. "Sure man, anything for you."

The Stranger stood up straight and rubbed his hands together shyly, taking in a deep breath as he tried to speak. "Well… since you're the only survivor next to me… and you'll retain all of your memories, from the past, now, and the future… I was wondering if, from time to time, you come up here and contact me, telling me how things are going down on the world and everything, and just catch up. I can trust you easily to keep all of this a secret from everyone, and I could use a friend to talk to once and a while when I'm working."

Flippy was confused by the Stranger's statement. "Wait a minute… you mean you're not going to come down with me and visit now and then? You're just going to lock yourself up here… forever?"

The Stranger stared blankly at Flippy while standing in a deep thought. He wanted to return back with Flippy, to be with the Tree Friends again. Now that the world is free of the fear of death and violence, it was safe to be with others, to be with friends, to share memories that will be remembered for a life time. He could be with Flaky again, and share the memories all over again, to be happy one more time…

But would it be the same? Everything was different now, and when he will work on the world, everyone else will be different. He would not be returning to the same world, just a copy of one. Everything before was irrelevant now… even the memories with Flaky. What could he return back to? There was nothing for him back down on the world. And what about the server and the file; he had to be here in order to run properly the world. In his mind, it was better that he stayed out of it all… it was just better this way.

The Stranger shook his head and sighed. "Flippy… I would love to return back… but… I think it is best that I don't physically get myself involved with other people's lives ever again. I don't belong down there anymore… and besides, someone has to stay here and work the server, right? Trust me… it's just best that I stay here until I can find us a way to get home."

Flippy looked down disappointedly, but nodded his head. "I understand… alright, I'll keep in touch with you now and then, tell you how things are going through my perspective."

"Good… I'll… I'll set up an access area on this tower here that'll let you in secretly, plus set up a communications setting that'll allow us to speak while I'm here and you're outside. Just call me once in a while on how things are doing, how people are acting, just the usual live observations you see. That okay with you?"

Flippy gave a thumbs up with his left hand. "Sounds good to me; I'll be glad to do it." Flippy then dropped his hand and spoke seriously. "And the second favor?"

The Stranger's face turned red, and he scratched the back of his neck as he swallowed his throat. "Well… you see… it's about Flaky…"

Flippy nodded his head. "I'm sorry… I know she was important to you. I wish I was fast enough to save her, as she really deserves to be here, to remember all of this."

The Stranger held back his tears as he breathed deeply. "I know… I know…"

Flippy brought his hands to his sides as he looked up at the Stranger. "So… what do you want me to do with her?"

The Stranger thought deeply about the favor he wanted to ask. He wanted to be Flaky right now, and to be with her forever. He always felt alone when he wasn't with her, and he was always happy when she was around. And he knew as well she felt exactly the same way…

But now he can't have those moments and feelings with her anymore. It just wouldn't be the same with him. And since he couldn't be with her, she would be left alone once more, possibly living the paranoid life without someone to be with her. She needed someone to be with her now, and if he couldn't do it anymore… then perhaps someone else could.

The Stranger took one more deep breath and spoke up. "Well… you see, Flippy, Flaky… Flaky needs someone to be with her. I saw her alone in the world before we got close, and she looked awful, so afraid of the world that she could possibly die from the littlest of things. But when I stayed with her, when I didn't let her feel alone, that someone was there for her, she wasn't as scared. In fact… she became stronger on her own. Being with someone else… made her more determined and willing to take care of herself. And she was so happy as well… always smiling no matter the moment because she was with someone…"

The Stranger stayed silent for a short moment before speaking. "Flippy… I can't be with her anymore… I have to stay here in order to protect and watch over the world now. But she needs someone to be with her… I can't let her stay alone out there again… not when there could be years of waiting ahead of us. So… is it okay that you watch over her for me, just for now until we leave this world?"

Flippy blushed a little from the favor he was given from the Stranger. To watch over another person… especially a beautiful one, was something he did not expect to be asked to do, considering everything he has done in the past. An insane solider, renowned for murder, was being asked to protect a woman. Even Flippy thought the Stranger was insane to suggest him to be with her.

Seeing Flippy struggle to find an answer, the Stranger lifted up his hands and spoke calmly. "Flippy, listen to me. There is no way I would ever ask this from you if I knew you couldn't do it. Before, with your evil monster, I would have told you to stay far away from her; you two would never work. But now… I can control that monster for you… you'll never have to fear of harming another innocent person ever again. You can be with others in the outside world and never worry of hurting her. And with her memory erased, she'll never know of your past actions. You two can start fresh, and you can be with her without harming her… I trust you, Flippy, which is why I'm asking this from you."

Flippy took the Stranger's words in, taking them into deep consideration. It is true, he no longer has to worry about hurting others now. He can be with other people and never fear of hurting them. Which means now he could be with good people… like Flaky.

Flippy looked up and nodded his head. "All right… I'll look after her for you."

The Stranger smiled widely and clasped his hands together joyfully. "Oh, that's great to hear! Now, listen here, I have a few things you should know when being with her."

"Um, you don't have to-"

"First, remember to always be with her and watch over her, but don't control her. She is a very strong woman capable of taking care of herself. Let her do things on her own, and when she tells you to do something, don't question it, just do it."

Flippy nodded his head while raising up his hands. "Okay, I get it. I'll-"

"Next, remember to take her out plenty of times, get used to the outside world. She's a little shy but she enjoys the world; make her see and like the little things and you'll see. I recommend going to the park when it's sunny yet quiet and peaceful, and show her the beauty of the world. She likes it, just make her realize that."

"Alright, I see. Next time-"

"Oh, and, if you ever get the pleasure to run your hands through her hair, let me tell you, it may be dirty, but it's unbelievably soft! Though be careful; there's this one spot on the top right of her head that she doesn't like touched, but the left side she really enjoys that. So-"

"STOP!" Flippy, a little annoyed from the suggestions, couldn't help but yell and sigh in annoyance at the Stranger. The Stranger's face, realizing the situation, turned red in embarrassment, understanding that he may have gone overboard with the details.

The Stranger rubbed the back on his neck and kept the smile on his face. "Look, Flippy… I'm not asking you to go in a relationship with her, I'm just asking that you be with her now and then… just watch her for me… can you do that?"

Flippy thought about the favor for only a short moment, then looked up at the Stranger. "Okay… I'll look after her for you. If you really trust me on this now… then I'll do it."

The Stranger, with his mind filled with immense joy, knelt down on his right knee, keeping his eyes on Flippy. As he was now eye-level with his friend, the Stranger placed his right hand on Flippy's left shoulder, and gave a slow and short nod. "Thanks, Flippy… now go… a new day is about to start."

As the Stranger stood up, Flippy gave a quick salute as a wave goodbye, which the Stranger signaled back. They stood looking at each briefly, and the two performed an about face simultaneously, walking in opposite directions.

While walking towards the exit hallway of the room, Flippy, only taking a few more steps, suddenly came to a stop. The smile on his face dropped, and doubt was visible in his eyes. He felt worried as one question began to ring in his mind.

_Can you really trust a stranger?_

The one question, whom the Mad Man taunted him with, was getting to him. Despite the Stranger being his friend… he was indeed a stranger to him. He was completely different from him… and everyone else in the world. Could Flippy really trust the Stranger in caring for them… and, at the very least, try to save them?

With the question constantly being asked in his mind, Flippy couldn't help but turn around to face the Stranger, who was walking towards the Control Room. "Hey…"

The Stranger stopped moving, and turned around with a confused look. "Yes, Flippy?"

Flippy looked down briefly, a little ashamed to think of such a question, but he had to know. "You… you do intend to find a way to save us… no matter what… right?"

The Stranger made a smile and nodded instantly. "Of course!"

"Promise?"

The Stranger slowly dropped his smile and went silent. He stared blankly at Flippy, and spoke calmly. "What?"

Flippy took a step forward, and spoke in a stern voice. "Promise me that you will take care of us, and that you will save us. No matter what the situation is, no matter what the cost, you will save us in the end. Can you promise me that?"

Standing blankly for a couple of seconds, the Stranger nodded his head. "I promise."

Flippy, while a little relieved to receive such an answer, did not smile back, and only returned the answer with a silent nod. The Stranger did the same, and the two walked off again, returning to their separate lives, and starting anew.

While Flippy exited the main room and went home, the Stranger walked back into the Control Room. He took a moment to look around the tech-filled room. Oddly, it felt different being in the room in his natural form instead of just a squirrel. In fact, it felt odd being human all together after months of being something different. He even looked behind him as he felt the phantom pain of where his tail used to be, with no trace of it whatsoever.

Looking forward with his head down, he noticed again the dead body of the Mad Man. The pool of blood he rested in was drying up, but still in a sticky liquid state. The body was cold and limp, and was easily identifiable by this point that the Mad Man was surely dead, when counting the massive loss of blood.

The Stranger couldn't be any happier at the sight of something dead in front of him. And in the world he used to live in, that was a feeling he thought would never actually enjoy.

As he observed the dead body, the Stranger's attention was placed on something that was attached to the Mad Man's arm. Walking forward a few steps, he noticed it was the Administrative Tactical Computer, or the ATC as it was called. Despite the massive battle he endured, the ATC was still intact, perfectly useable by the next Administrator.

Kneeling down on his right leg, the Stranger bent over and lifted up the Mad Man's heavy arm, and took a close examination of the gauntlet. It was currently inactive, the screen in a dark state. Looking underneath, he noticed a tight lock that kept the computer strapped to the forearm that it reached. The Stranger quickly went for the lock, and unhatched it, loosening the grip it had on the Mad Man's arm.

He swiftly pulled it off the arm of the Mad Man, letting the cold arm drop to the floor with a thud. Curiosity filling his mind, the Stranger took his left hand and slid it inside the gauntlet, fitting nice and tight inside the cushioned inner walls. Once his hand reached the fingertips, he equipped the lock, making it as tight as possible around his arm.

The Stranger, once seeing the ATC was strapped to his arm, instantly noticed the power button located on the bottom left area. Without thinking, the Stranger pressed his right index finger on the red button, and the onboard screen instantly flashed opened, beginning to run thousands of applications, programs, processes and anything else his own mind could not comprehend.

As his curious eyes observed the blue holo-screen, he was startled by a giant ray-scan coming from a hidden camera on the top of the ATC, scanning his face while collecting a large array of details. He could also feel the gauntlet making an automatic tight grip around his arm briefly before letting go, and then noticed the screen displaying a couple amounts of details.

* * *

_Administrative Tactical Computer v1.0.3145.6  
New Administrator Diagnostics Complete_

_..._

_Name: Ezekiel Pearce_  
_Health Status: Stable_  
_Age: 24  
Gender: Male_  
_Administrator Number: #2_  
_Server Control: 'Happy Tree Friends;' 21 Active Host(s), 1 Active Admin(s)_  
_Start Date: December 14__th__ 2043_

_..._

_Administrative Control… Now set to: Manual_  
_Begin Manual Control…_

_..._

_Command:_

* * *

Ezekiel looked at the screen with envy. He was officially the new, in a very informal sense, god of the virtual world he resided in. He now had complete control over every single detail that ever existed, that exists now, and will exist at any given time. He was the Administrator.

And he planned to make good use of it.

Looking at the word '_Command_,' Ezekiel pondered what his first move will be. He then shivered a bit as he felt a cold draft enter the room. Looking down, Ezekiel realized that he was still technically naked, and felt slightly embarrassed at the sight.

Shrugging his shoulders at the thought, he typed in his first command.

_Administrator: New Apparel_

Upon entering the command, Ezekiel noticed a faint glow around his entire body, blinding his eye sight. He looked away for a brief moment as the intensity of the light grew, and suddenly could feel something covering his body.

Opening his eyes slowly, he noticed he was now dressed in freshly spawned clothes. The apparel he was given was similar to the Mad Man's original outfit, which included a long white lab coat with a long-sleeved grey shirt underneath, a pair of dark blue pants, and black dress shoes. Ezekiel looked and examined his body, and shrugged his body.

"Meh, I'll make it work."

As he accepted his new choice in clothing, he looked down at his feet one last time, and noticed an object that he was very familiar with... and one that placed a sharp pain in his heart.

Bending over, he noticed it was the red quill of Flaky's that he kept all of those months back, which proved useful in his time of need. It felt useless to hold onto now, but with Flaky's death, this one quill of her's... is the only remnant of their existence together. It was the only thing Ezekiel has left of ever remembering her.

As a tear dropped from his eye, Ezekiel picked up the tiny red quill, and gently placed it into his right pocket, keeping it close to him at all times to have something to always keep his memory of her alive.

Nodding his head determinedly, he looked forward to see the giant screen with the small computer at the end of the Control Room. Without hesitation, Ezekiel moved forward to the computer, leaving behind the dead body of the Mad Man again, and sitting down in the leather rolling chair, now perfect for his size.

Observing the screen, Ezekiel noticed it was still locked on the File Explorer, with the trillions of on-screen files visible on screen. He shook his head in disbelief, letting out a depressed sigh.

"There is no way in hell I'm going to find that file manually. I may overlook it one day and take decades more just to find it again."

Looking closer at the screen, while the toolbar lacked any means of direct search or sorting, it did have one useful command.

_Automatic File Scan_

Ezekiel rubbed his chin with his right hand, nodding his head slowly. "Maybe… maybe…"

Going through with his quick plan, Ezekiel took the mouse on the desk and clicked on the application icon, popping up a variety of settings. One of which allowed to scan the files and search for a specific one within the local storage. Smiling at the sight, Ezekiel typed in the file he needed, and click '_Next_' on the command prompt.

The next prompt instantly made him drop his smile. While the words '_Begin Search_' was relieving to see, it was the section next to it that he feared to see.

_Estimated Search Time: 3-10 Year(s)_

Ezekiel stared blankly at the estimated time table… and sighed as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well… I wasn't planning on going anywhere soon…"

He clicked the command '_Begin Search_,' which brought up a tiny progress bar with the names of files and programs underneath that were being search. Despite the hundreds of files Ezekiel could possibly point out, the bar stayed empty, with the progress still standing at _0%_.

Ezekiel shook his head, and looked off to the big screen behind him. It still showed detail statistics of the world, such as a map, Hosts information, and the works. He smiled, and leaned forward again towards the computer.

"I guess I got some time to play around then." Ezekiel, dragging the task manager to the side, picked up a variety of applications on the desktop menu, including applications like _'World Settings'_ and _'Host Status_.' He quickly opened both, revealing tons of possible configurations and options to play with in his new world.

Ezekiel cracked his fingers, rolled his neck around, and placed his fingertips on the black keyboard in front of him.

"Now… let's see what we can do with those minds and bodies of yours, along with the rest of the world… and this time… let's make it right."

Smiling widely, Ezekiel entered a few new commands into the computer, and, with just one click of a button, a flash of light was emitted across the world.

And everything changed.

For the better.


	23. Ch 18: Routines

**Chapter 18**

**Routines**

* * *

The sun was peering through the blinds of the window, its rays shining between the tiny spaces and revealing minuscule particles of dust in the air. The room was quiet as well as the world beyond the exterior of the house; it was quite peaceful in fact.

Though total silence was non-existent as the sound of a grown man snoring heavily could be heard under the thick forest-green bedsheets. The man was nestled on his large king-sized bed, sleeping happily as his mind was deep in a heavy slumber.

Whatever dream he was having that moment would be erased as, after a few minutes later, the rays of the sun reached his face, the bright light of the sun blinding his eyes as he slowly opened them. Groaning in aggravation from being awakened during a decent sleep, the man pushed himself up, yawning and rubbing his eyes at the same time.

He sat upright on his bed, his mind still trying to wake up and become active. He scratched his green hair on top of his head, stretching his body around with the sound of his bones cracking with each movement. After a one last yawn, he moved his legs to hang over the right side of his bed, his mind still waking up though now at a level where he could easily move.

The man looked down and fiddled with his dog-tags that hanged around his neck and laid against his grey shirt. As the metallic surface reflected the bright light off the sun, the words embedded on the tags were visible, with the name 'Flippy' being evident on the first tag.

Flippy stretched his arms one last time before bringing himself up to his feet, standing tall and upright. He proceeded to march towards the blinds of the window, and pushed them aside to get a clear view of the world.

Upon removal of the blinds, Flippy could see the white blanket of snow that covered the once green fields, trees standing without leaves, streets near-absent of traffic, and a cool breeze that flew through the air. Judging by the position of the sun, without looking at his alarm clock, he estimated it to be around 9:30 to 10:00 in the morning, a good enough time to finally jump out of bed on a lovely morning.

Smiling happily, Flippy walked away from the window and marched straight for his wardrobe on the opposite side of the room. Opening up the mahogany doors, he instantly got a clear reflection of himself of the mirror inside, revealing a rather dirty and rough look Flippy, his eyes still slightly baggy from his heavy sleep and his medium-length green hair roughed up.

Despite the site, he kept his smile while making a 'click' sound with his mouth, pointing to himself in the mirror. He quickly grabbed his usual garments, consisting of his BDU jacket and shirt, along with camo-pattern pants. With the apparel hanging over his left arm, he looked over to the hanging calendar on the right inside door of the wardrobe, pointing out the date 'December 24th, 2048.' Since it was Christmas Eve, the day was off for everyone, which made Flippy only feel more the merrier.

Placing a quick 'X' over the square box containing the number '24', the rest of the morning was filled with his usual routine: take a shower and clean up, get dressed, comb hair, re-make the bed, check schedule book for any important events for the day, do basic morning chores if possible, eat a healthy morning breakfast, clean dishes from said morning breakfast, go outside for less than a minute to enjoy the fresh air and to retrieve the day's paper and mail, go back inside to read today's paper and mail before ripping up the mail for being mostly ads and junk, and finally relax.

...

And that was it. It was not even noon yet, let alone 11:00 in the morning, and all of his morning routines was squared away. Flippy sat in his chair in the living room and let out a tiring sigh, fully awake at this point and yet his mind had no idea of what to do next.

He leaned forward and rested his head on his right hand. Flippy took the quiet time to think over the day… and over the previous time before this date.

Ever since the day Ezekiel took command over the world and acted as their new god just over five years ago, everything in the world changed. As promised, everyone was given their human forms along with perfected English language. The world around them, such as the buildings, changed accordingly to fit the larger size of a human being. Environments changed to feel more 'natural' and 'life-like' compared to the outside world, and life itself followed a new but realistic routine.

As for himself and the other Tree Friends, they changed personally themselves; not just in the form of physical appearance, but as a person with an active mind. Common sense was a thing now, as well as basic intelligence, granting everyone the ability to make correct choices and care for themselves without getting themselves hurt. The mental disorders, like his PTSD and Petunia's OCD, were now either wiped-away or reduced in severity, not exaggerated.

But best of all, in all these years after Ezekiel's command, there has never been one single death, not even from the generics. No accidents, no pain, no suffering, no fear, nothing was possibly wrong in the world. Not only was he himself and the Tree Friends were fixed, but how the world worked was brought to a natural setting, just as it should have been.

And despite all the changes, no one noticed the difference…

Except for him. Flippy, being the only one to survive along with Ezekiel, retained the memories of the events prior to that fateful day, and can still remember the times of being an insane murdering bear and how the world appeared so much different, the way things looked and how they worked. No one else could recall the life before except for him. It was completely different…

And yet, at the same time, it wasn't. No matter how he looked at it, Flippy felt the same way of the world. It wasn't real, no matter how good it resembled the life outside. This still wasn't his real body, this still wasn't his home, everything he touched wasn't real, life itself here was not real. It was still the same false reality that he lived in before.

The routines themselves never changed either. He still woke up in the morning, got dressed, did his basic chores and ate breakfast, would go outside and do his work, return home to sleep, and repeat the process all over again. It was still the same repeating life as before.

He longed for the day to return home again, to see the REAL world, to experience REAL events and emotions. But all of this was bound to Ezekiel's ability to find some ability to get them home, and the long wait was starting to get to him.

At least now, though, he could live in this virtual world as a human and without the fear of death, so that counted for something, right?

As Flippy sat depressingly in his chair, still thinking of life events prior to this day, he felt a sudden vibration in his right pocket of his pants. Jolting up in surprise, he quickly reached through his pocket and pulled out his cellphone, reading the bright message shown on the small screen.

_1 new message: Flaky_

Smiling when noticing Flaky's name and profile picture, he pressed the icon on the screen and opened up the message screen, reading Flaky's text message carefully.

_Hey, there's something I wanted to ask you. Mind meeting me at Happy Tree Park?_

Without hesitation, Flippy clicked the '_Reply_' button and entered his response.

_Sure, be right there!_

Sending off the message in an instant, Flippy got up and moved to the side of the front door, looking down to see his thick brown combat boots. Placing his feet in both boots one at a time, he quickly tied the laces, stood up straight, opened the door, and closed it behind him, locking the door in the process and entering the coldness of the outside.

As Ezekiel kept his promise to work hard to find a way to get them home and to always stay sane by protecting them each day, Flippy kept his promise to be the watchful eye on the ground. From time to time, either he or Ezekiel would call each other, giving a friendly chat or a report on how things were doing on the ground. As usual, Flippy would say that life is as it should be, with everyone following their routines and no deaths and such, only confirming the same events every day. It was pointless, but it did keep Ezekiel company while he secluded himself secretly away from the world, only seeing it through the views of hidden cameras.

But as Flippy kept his eye on the world around him, making sure everything is as it should be, he kept his other promise: to watch over Flaky for Ezekiel. Feeling odd at first to watch over her, since he never thought of hanging out with a beautiful woman like her, he soon came to accept doing it for Ezekiel. She was indeed a fun person to be with, and seemed to be always happy when she wasn't alone. She even seemed to be less paranoid and more independent as he got to know her better.

Though despite the years being with her, Flippy never bothered to make a real relationship with her, which Flaky herself had no problem with. Being a good friend to her was enough to keep both of each other happy, though Flippy did it also for another reason.

As far as he knew, Ezekiel still had feelings for her, and misses her plenty, but as a new acting God, he decided it was best he avoided all contact with the world, including Flaky, never having a chance again to speak to her. Knowing that he could never be with her to keep her company and safe, he rested the duty on Flippy to keep her safe and happy. And he was content on doing that for him. No need for a relationship, just keep her happy until they could meet again in the future.

It didn't take long for Flippy to make his way to the park, which was more active than he expected it to be. As his thick boots rested in the deep snow, he took the time to observe the winter wonderland of Happy Tree Park, noticing the center lake completely frozen in ice, and energetic Tree Friends skating across the surface. It was a peaceful world as it should be.

A few more seconds of observing the glorious morning, Flippy finally caught the view of a beautiful woman sitting comfortably on a park bench near the center. Her long red hair reached down to her backside, soft to the touch, though littered with multiple flakes of dandruff, a trait that failed to be removed no matter what was done. She was nestled in a woolly brown coat, thick and fluffy, which kept her body warm from the cold outside air.

Seeing how she was sitting anxiously and alone on the park bench, Flippy silently made his way behind the red-haired woman, unsuspecting his presence. He trekked carefully through the thick snow, trying to not make any audible sounds in his march. As the woman looked straight toward the frozen lake in front of her, Flippy got right behind the park bench, standing tall with his hands stretched out and an evil grin on his face.

He inhaled a large sum of oxygen and-

"Flippy, I swear if you try to scare me again, I will hit you."

Flippy exhaled with a slight chuckle, caught off guard by Flaky's outstanding perceptive abilities. She would be a hard person to sneak up on if she were an enemy solider.

Keeping a happy smile on his face, and walked around the bench with his hands in his pockets, looking at the beautiful face of Flaky, who looked up with a little grin.

"Did you really think I would fall for that again?"

Flippy shrugged his shoulders. "Well… it did work the past 20 times. I guess I'll just have to mix it up a bit next time."

"Unless you don't mind losing your package after trying again, I suggest you rethink doing that."

Flippy's eyes widened as he looked down to his crotch briefly and back up to Flaky with a scared grin. "Alright, ma'am, you're the boss!"

Flaky giggled lightly before getting up to her feet. She stretched her arms out wide and wrapped them around Flippy's body, Flippy returning the hug as she spoke happily.

"Well I'm still happy to see you again! I was a little afraid you might not show up."

Flippy held his hug on Flaky for a short moment before letting her go, keeping a smile on his face. "You know I can't ignore you. I can always make the time to meet up with you now and then!"

Flaky wrapped her arms around herself to keep her hands warm, and nodded her head. "I'm glad you can, especially for today. There was something I wanted to ask you about."

Flippy placed his hands back in his coat pockets and walked beyond Flaky a short distance. "Alright, I'm up for that. Mind we chat and walk together?"

Flaky walked up to Flippy's right side, and nodded her head again. "Sure, it's a good day for walking anyway."

Flippy smiled in response to Flaky's agreement, and the two walked side to side on the paved walkway in the center of the park. As other Tree Friends conversed with each other, performed activities or walked by them, the two never separated and kept close together in the park.

After a short moment of silence, the two enjoying the scenery and fresh air, Flippy spoke up. "So, what was it that you wanted to ask me about?"

Flaky, almost forgetting the reason why she asked Flippy here, jolted a bit before looking up to Flippy, brushing her hair aside from her face. "Well… um… you know that, this year, I'll be the one hosting the Christmas party taking place at my house tomorrow, right?"

Flippy nodded his head in excitement. "Of course I do. Everyone's been talking about it like crazy!"

Flaky looked a little stunned. "Really?!"

"Yeah. I mean, YOU'RE the one hosting the party this year. Normally it's either someone like me, Nutty, Lumpy, the rest of the guys and sometimes Giggles, but you were always the last one to expect to host something like a party."

Flaky crossed arms with a little angry yet sarcastic expression. "And why would you all think that?"

Flippy shrugged his shoulders. "Well… it's not really a secret that you can be a bit shy and scared plenty of times."

Flaky's eyes widened as her cheeks turned red. "I'm not scared all the time! I'm just a little… a little…"

"Over-cautious?"

Flaky stayed silent for a brief moment before speaking up. "I say just more careful than everyone else."

Flippy chuckled lightly. "I know there's a saying that you can never be too careful, but still, you can go a little overboard."

"Well, the world can be a dangerous place you know? I say it's better to be a little more careful when doing something; you don't know something terrible could happen in this world."

Flippy was silent for a moment, his mind having flashbacks of the events before Ezekiel's takeover. The deaths, accidents, violence, it was indeed a dangerous world before, with possibly anything happening.

"I can't deny with you there." Flippy brought his smile back and looked back down to Flaky. "So yeah, I know about it, and people are happily awaiting the day and excited that you're doing it for once. What about it?"

Flaky blushed a little again as she spoke carefully. "Well it has come to me that I sent an invitation to everyone I know and like in this town… except for you."

Flippy nodded his head. "That is true, I did not receive an invitation yet. Is it for everyone's safety that I don't go?"

Flaky shook her head hastily. "Oh no, it's not that at all! In fact, I was wanting to ask you here that if you would like to come to it… that is, if you want to or not."

Flippy shook his head as he laughed. "Flaky, what makes you think I would deny going to a party hosted by you? I was surprised that it took this long to ask me; I thought you forgot about me or something."

Flaky looked down as she kept a shy smile. "I know and I apologize for that. Still, it would be great to see you there with everyone else. Besides, since it's different this year with me hosting it for once, it would be a new experience for all of us in some way. So… what do you say?"

Flippy, overly-excited in his mind, wrapped his arms around Flaky, surprising her. "I say count me in. Hell, expect me to be the first there already!"

Flaky giggled lightly as Flippy held her. "Alright, alright! Take it easy; the party doesn't start until tomorrow night, so keep your energy until then."

Flippy chuckled as he happily let go of Flaky, who crossed her arms while keeping a serious expression on her face. "Now, there are a few exceptions and rules this year."

Flippy placed his hands in his pockets as he leaned back. "Oh really? Like what?"

"First: my house, my rules; I say something is wrong or shouldn't be done, you listen, alright?"

Flippy nodded his head. "Of course; it's your house and I respect it."

"Second: no alcoholic beverages or smoking. I won't have someone get drunk in my own home or fill my room with that terrible smoke. Remember Nutty's party last year when he allowed that at his house? Yeah, we're not doing that again, not in my house."

Flippy chuckled lightly. "I won't complain with you on that."

"And finally: you need to bring a gift of some kind. It's Christmas, the day of giving, so you better have something nice to give for at least ONE guest, which I'm sure you already have, right?"

Flippy froze for a moment, his eyes widening with the sudden realization that a gift was not readily at hand. "Um… yeah, of course I got a gift! It's a really good gift, trust me."

Flaky, suspicious of Flippy, nodded her head slowly. "Well good. I hope the person you intend to give it to will like it." She then smiled and stood up straight. "And that's it. Be clean and sober, have a gift ready, be very respectable, and show up around 5:00 PM tomorrow to help setup. It's going to be a long night so get some sleep, got it?"

Flippy quickly went to an attentive position and jokingly gave Flaky a military salute. "Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

Flaky giggled lightly and returned the salute. "Okay, at ease, solider."

Flippy, laughing alongside her, dropped his salute and stood still, the two looking at each other happily in the middle of the park without a care in the world. The sound of silent conversations and the cool wind could only be heard as the two briefly stood looking at each other.

After the short silence, Flippy opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the sound of Flaky's watch on her left arm. She jolted a little as she rolled up her sleeve and brought the watch to her view, showing the time was now 12:00PM.

Her face looked surprised as she brought her right hand to her cheek. "Oh, I'm going to be late to pick up the supplies for the party tomorrow!" She rolled her sleeve back down and looked happily at Flippy. "Thanks for meeting… and… walking with me, Flippy… it was nice."

Flippy forcefully kept his smile, despite being disappointed in seeing Flaky having to leave. "It was… we'll be able to talk more tomorrow, right?"

Flaky nodded her head. "Of course, silly!" To the surprise of Flippy, Flaky gave him a tight brief hug. "We'll see each other tomorrow and celebrate a great holiday together. It'll be fun! And when it's over, we'll happily await for it again next year."

As Flippy brought his arms to hug Flaky, the idea of another year in the world was killing him inside. She just wouldn't understand the feeling of being the only one knowing none of this was real, but he played along with it. It made her happy, which was enough for him. "Yeah, it will be."

The two let go of each other, and with a smile on both faces, waved goodbye and went their separate ways for the day.

Flippy walked out of the boundaries of the park, and now stood on the sidewalk just south of Happy Tree Town. He placed his hands in his coat pockets, and leaned to the side as he pondered a few questions to himself.

"A gift, huh? Where the hell am I going to get a gift in time for the party tomorrow? I need a good one, too, not anything cheap… so where…"

Flippy looked up and noticed the giant tree in the center of Happy Tree Town, overlooking the entire city and its structures. He stared at the topmost area of the tree, and shrugged his shoulders as he marched forward.

"Well, I might as well pay the guy a visit, anyway. Wonder what he's been up to…"

* * *

The metallic room was lit up with the flashing lights and dials on the enormous supercomputers and machines against the walls, and the sounds of beeping noises and other techy-sounds emitting from the many pieces of advanced technology all currently active and running at maximum capacity.

As the machines performed their line of work, Ezekiel sat in the leather chair at the end of the room, sitting beneath a small computer attached to an oversized screen in front of him. His eyes were glued to the screen as his fingertips tapped the many buttons on the keyboard lying in front of him. He kept track of every letter he typed and every single bit of information that popped up on screen, never missing anything important.

On the monitor in front of him, two prompts were opened side to side. One prompt was labeled 'Processes,' while the other was labeled 'Administrative Logs.' While keeping his main focus on the many processes of information constantly being sent back and forth between the virtual world and the main server, he also kept some attention on the number of outdated logs found in the other prompt.

Before running towards the next log, he overviewed the processes on the screen one last time.

"Graphics Processing Unit usage… currently waving at 87%... Memory at 68%... Central Processing Unit usage at… 98%?! Dear God, this server has been un-optimized trash from the start! How did that guy even keep this place from throttling or crashing?! Alright, let's see… well, we can tone down the number of generated civilians in the server. That should drop it down some."

After a few keystrokes, a command prompt was show, revealing '_Reduce Generic Civ- 15%_.' When the command was carried out, which was barely even a recorded second, Ezekiel noticed the CPU usage drop from its exaggerated number now to '_92%_.'

"Damn, those guys take up a lot of necessary space. Always generating around the holiday season too… just like Florida. But that's done now, should keep the world stable now."

Wiping his forehead of a few small droplets of sweat, he turned his attention to the second prompt, and listed the many selectable logs on screen, each listed with a long strand of numbers. He forgot which page he was on at this point, even starting to forget the information he learned from the previous logs. Still, he started at the top, which was labeled '123039.'

Ezekiel brought the mouse to hover the cursor over the number, and double-clicked it, opening up a media-player. Upon activation of the application, it revealed a video recording, giving Ezekiel a clear view of the previous administrator before him.

The Mad Man.

Curious to what he was going to say this time, Ezekiel leaned forward and kept his ears to listen only to the words emitting from the speakers of the monitor.

* * *

_Begin Log_

"_Administrator's Log, December 30__th__, 2039, yearly review number 7."_

_ "Basic Diagnostics Report: all systems are maintaining stable condition, no noticeable bugs or errors found from security scan. CPU usage continues to work in an odd fashion due to over-processing of the many variables in the server, most prominent when handling generic AI. Note: adjust internal usage to optimize the generation of generic AI in the future to avoid possible crashes."_

_ "Subject Overview Report: All subjects maintaining perfect health status. Stasis Pods are continuing to work at optimal settings, keeping heart-rates stable and yet pausing any age growth. Memories still wiped and saved in backup storage, no noticeable sicknesses throughout the year, all in perfect standing."_

_ "Begin Administrator's Yearly Personal Overview:"_

_ "Well… here it is. The beginning of the new decade in the 21__st__ century. Such a marvelous occasion that I, sadly, will not be able to take part in. My duty as Administrator is too important to leave for festive activities beyond this virtual world of mine, and doing so may cause complications with the server with no manager holding the fort. Even a brief second leaving could cause some damage, so thus, I must stay. At least I have my subjects to keep me company, and with a variety of festive entertainment. I do wonder, though, how the world has been without by appearance…"_

_ "Though I guess that isn't important now. This is my new home, and this year was yet another successful one. No bugs, no failures, no issues or complaints with the server. Despite running non-stop at near-maximum capacity, it retains its powerful abilities with no hiccups, and still stands as possibly the greatest achievement in technological history. I only wish I could manufacture this further for the whole world. Imagine, having every soul to occupy these pods. Then I would TRULY be God."_

_ "But I guess these find subjects will have to suffice for now… but I do worry, however. While this year was still fun to play with them, controlling their world, having them carry out their own demises in such beautifully crafted and gory incidents, it does seem to be getting… bland. While this is indeed the greatest world my sadistic mind could come up with, and I do intend to stay for years to come, the repeated process of dying over and over without self-consciousness or memory becomes repetitive, and my ideas slowly dwindle on how to eradicate them in the most gruesome yet unique fashion."_

_ "The worst of these situations is Flippy. He is like a son to me. So evil, so sadistic, so creative with his kills. And yet, that's all he does: kill. He is the exact image of me… and yet, I'm starting to get bored of me. Interest in him has dropped significantly as, while I've even gave him a proper backstory a few years back, the constant overuse of him only makes him boring. I just can't keep up using him if he doesn't decide to do anything else."_

_ "With that said, I will place his Stasis Pod on Hold, and keep his character out of the world until I find the need of him once more. The other Subjects won't notice his absence once the next character wipe is performed when their next deaths arrive, and Flippy will stay nice and safe in the backlogs of the server. He'll come back again, I'm sure, but for now, he needs his rest."_

_ "And perhaps me as well. Despite my Stasis Pod preventing age growth similar to the other subjects, I can still feel my old age getting to me. Perhaps the slow work days of staying in this tower alone is getting to me, but I just wish I could spice things up a bit. What happens when I can't think of anything new to kill my subjects? What happens if my boredom reaches its peak? What happens when the sadistic fun of murder suddenly becomes only a chore for me? This world will become useless then…"_

_ "Luckily, I don't imagine to have a situation like that occur anytime soon, as I have an entire book of daily deaths to impose onto my subjects, perhaps for another decade or two. And besides, if I do get bored, the Failsafe installed will just exit me out while killing off the others. Can't have them leave and tell the world what I did now, can we? And just think, it'll be like jumping out of a window and leaving a bomb behind, killing everyone while I successfully escape unharmed. An epic escape like no other!"_

_ "Ah, but that'll never happen… I hope. I just would like to have some sort of challenge, though, to make my time here fun again. Something new, something that fights back. I can't create an AI to do that as it could be costly on performance, and using one of the existing subjects wouldn't be any easier. If only I could just play with something… or someone, then I can have some REAL fun again, just like the glory days."_

_ "Well, I'm sure I'll think of something. I always do. Until then, this concludes my yearly review and personal log. Here's to another glorious and deadly decade in the world of Happy Tree Friends!"_

_End Log_

* * *

When the message finally came to a close, Ezekiel leaned back on the chair, and looked up to the dark ceiling above him, smiling as he let out a soft sigh.

"Looks like you got your wish, you son of a bitch. Hope it was worth it…"

Ezekiel dropped his smile as his mind started to drift into a deep thought, taking in the Mad Man's personal log entry into account. Despite the evil deeds he had performed in the past, Ezekiel could agree to one thing the Mad Man felt during his time as Administrator.

Boredom. Though unlike the Mad Man, who went into a mad frenzy of bloody murder, Ezekiel secluded himself for half a decade doing nothing but watching others live out their lives. He never saw the bright rays of the sun, interacted with the many inhabitants, or had any real outside fun. Instead, his entire remaining life was being spent behind a computer handling processes and watching others. This was what it felt like being a god over the town.

And he was surprised how he has yet to enter a mad state of insanity from the pure boredom of waiting and sitting. He just wanted to go home right now, but was forced, like the others, to wait it out for God knows how long to get even a glimpse of freedom. It was Hell.

As he sat on his chair depressingly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the familiar red quill all the years back. His mind still could not let go of the young porcupine… well, woman, that he enjoyed being with, and loved from the beginning. He wanted to be with her, and yet, it would always be impossible, so long as they stayed trapped in the virtual world.

"Oh please… let us go home soon…"

"Hey, what's gotten you all down?"

Ezekiel jolted upwards on his chair and placed the quill back in his pocket as he heard the sound of a familiar friendly voice. He smiled as he turned around to see the humanized Flippy standing at the entrance of the hall with his arms crossed in front of his camo BDU jacket. Ezekiel chuckled as he got up his chair, walking towards Flippy happily.

"Well, you know. Same Shit, Different Day; just following the same usual routines everyday while we stay here. You understand, right?"

Flippy nodded, forming a fake smile in agreement. "Yeah, too right there, mate. Just another day in paradise, huh?"

Ezekiel nodded his head slowly as he brought up his ATC resting on his left forearm, pressing a few buttons as he spoke calmly. "Yep, sounds about right. So, since you're here, care to play a few games of blackjack with me, lose a few more hundred chips for me like last time?"

Flippy chuckled as he shook his head. "Nah, I'm afraid I don't have the time to lose more of my savings, though I can stay a bit for a drink… or two."

Ezekiel smiled as he pushed out his left palm forward, a glowing orb emitting from the metal gauntlet. "Alright, fine by me, friend."

As the two stood side to side, Ezekiel shot out a blue beam of light out into the center hall intersecting between each room, summoning up a small table, two comfortable cushioned chairs, two shot glasses, and a bottle of the strongest whisky he could make.

Once the objects were perfectly formed, the two proceeded to walk to the table, and take their seats by the table, Flippy taking the right chair and Ezekiel on the left.

As Flippy leaned back on his chair, Ezekiel leaned forward and grab the bottle of whisky, popping off the top of the bottle and pouring it into both shots carefully. "So, Flippy, how is the world down below this tower of mine? I can see only so much from my perspective, so how is everyone and the world doing personally?"

Once Ezekiel finished filling the shot glasses with the strong liquor, the two grabbed their shots and picked them up, Ezekiel gulping down his shot with ease as Flippy held onto his. "Pretty much the same stuff the last five years. We wake up, do our routines, and go to sleep. Really, it's like our original lives, except without the death. We're happy, enjoying each day, but that's about it. What you're seeing is pretty much what was always going on. Don't know what else I can say."

Flippy gulped down his shot of whisky, cringing as the booze flowed down his throat. Ezekiel picked up the bottle and filled up their shots a second time, though looking a little depressed after hearing Flippy's review. Life was, indeed, no different before, with the exception of the repetition of death. It was just a repeat of daily life in a fake world.

"Well… at least everyone is happy down there; that's the only thing that matters right now. As long as you're all safe and happy for the time being until I find the way out, then I'm happy."

As Ezekiel finished filling up their second shots, Flippy left his shot on the table as he placed a concerned look on his face. "Hey… this year now… it would be your fifth year both in this world and Administrator… how are you holding up in here? I mean, stuck in this place for five full years, never going out once… don't you ever get bored?"

Ezekiel placed the bottle of whisky on the table as Flippy finished his question. He stared down at the table blankly while coming up with an answer, either telling it truthfully or saying something completely different. Once he found his answer, he nodded his head as he picked up his shot glass.

"Well… I won't deny that staying here 24/7 can get to me… locked up in here like a prison, only able to entertain myself by summoning up something, though only able to share the experience with myself… yeah, it does get boring after the first couple of years, and you wonder how the hell you still stand…"

He drank his second shot, and gently placed the shot glass down with a smile. "But… it doesn't faze me as much as you think. Because, even though I'm stuck up here unable to do anything… I still get to watch all of you enjoy your lives every day. I get to see the smiles on your faces, run carefree out into the world, and enjoy life to the fullest. All of these happiness is made… because I watch and protect over you. I make these great situations for you guys whenever I can, I protect you from the dangers of life, and always be with you even though I'm not next to you. Seeing you guys happy… it makes me happy, and that's what matters to me. Your happiness is my happiness, and I'll stay up here as long as I can in order to keep you all happy and safe."

Flippy watched Ezekiel with a concerned look as his friend wiped a small tear from his left eye, though smiled at him widely and with joy. "You're doing a good thing for us, Ezekiel, sacrificing your time to find a way out for us and keeping us safe. It's a boring lifestyle, I imagine, but we are happy thanks to you."

Ezekiel nodded his head and leaned back on his chair. "Well, once I find a way out and this is all over, the first thing I'm doing with you guys is taking you all to Vegas and have a hell of a time. Gambling, having a drink or two, and enjoying life to the fullest. Should help make up for those 15 years of waiting. I would like, though, if one of you could buy me a drink, as I sure as hell could use a REAL one with an actual kick to it."

Flippy chuckled lightly as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Yeah, sure thing man. I bet it'll be fun losing REAL money, too."

"Hey, that's Vegas for you. Win some, lose the rest, but at least you were smiling when doing it."

The two went silent for a moment, letting the two shots slowly take their effects onto their bodies, before Ezekiel spoke up again, blushing lightly. "So… um… how's Flaky doing? Well, I hope…"

Flippy nodded his head sharply. "Oh yeah, she's doing fantastic, man. Happy, energetic, more sociable than ever. Still a little shy and scared now and then, but the years being outside more often have really helped her. I've been having a fun time with her, letting her see the world and such, and she's been a great friend too."

Ezekiel made a small grin as he leaned forward. "Only a friend, you say?"

Flippy blushed as he shook his head. "Oh no! I've kept my promise to watch her, but I never actually made a real move on her. Sure we're close, but I never formed a relationship; she's your girl, not mine. Besides… I don't think she's my type anyway."

Ezekiel laughed as he sat up straight on his chair. "You're missing out on something big then, as you'll never find a girl like her again. Still… thanks for watching over her for me. I can do only so much from my side, so thanks for keeping her happy."

"No problem… actually, there's something I wanted to ask concerning her, the reason why I kind of came here."

Ezekiel shrugged his shoulders. "Ask away, man. I'm god of the world, whatever you need I'll make it happen."

"Well, you see… this year for Christmas, Flaky is the one holding the party; a real shocker, I know, though everyone is excited that she is doing this for everyone. But… um… you see… I kind of-"

"You forgot to get a gift for when they start sharing gifts for everyone, didn't you?"

Flippy looked stunned, his eyes widening as he spoke quickly. "Hey, I didn't get an OFFICIAL invitation until today, so that kind of leaves VERY LITTLE time for me to get something! I'm not a miracle worker, Ezekiel, and I kind of need a little help to come up with something now if I don't want Flaky to get into a little fit. She may seem nice and everything, but boy, she can be a little cranky if you anger her."

Ezekiel laughed again while leaning back on his chair. "Oh yeah, she is the type to expect something to be carried through when she demands it. I know that from experience once… anyway, let me come up with something here…"

Flippy watched Ezekiel dispel away the bottle of whisky and shot glasses, giving free space for him to work with. Ezekiel, scratching his head as he ran thoughts through his mind, smiled as he typed in a few words into his ATC, and summoned out a beautiful looking necklace inside a small cushioned box, laying gently on the table before them.

Flippy brought the box to himself while Ezekiel crossed his arms. "She may not be into the 'girly' things, but she still knows to look nice once in a while. I think she might look good wearing that, and would enjoy it very much to have something nice to wear on special occasions, especially knowing it came from you."

Smiling as he patted the small box, Flippy looked up and gave Ezekiel a nod. "Yeah, I bet she will. Thanks, Ezekiel. You're the best."

"I try to be." Ezekiel let out a small sigh of relief, and sat up straight once more. "So, will that be all for today, my friend?"

Flippy looked up for a little bit before looking back at Ezekiel, nodding his head. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for today." He pushed his chair back, standing straight up on his two feet while keeping the small box in his hands. As he stood up, he gave a worried look at Ezekiel. "Hey, man…"

Ezekiel got up to his feet, dispelling the remaining furniture as he looked at Flippy. "Yeah?"

"You sure you'll be fine for ANOTHER year alone on Christmas up here… in the tower… by yourself?"

Ezekiel shrugged his shoulders as he placed a fake smile on his face. "Meh, it comes with the job. I'll be fine, Flippy; you just go out there and have fun for me. You all stay happy for me, okay, just until we finally leave."

Flippy kept his worried look for a brief moment, but gave a friendly nod towards Ezekiel. "Well… you stay safe yourself, Ezekiel. I'll be back again soon, okay?"

"Alright, you take care, Flippy… and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

As Flippy walked towards the exit hallway, he waved behind himself with a smile. "Merry Christmas to you as well, Ezekiel!"

And with that said, the two were off in their separate lives again, with Ezekiel alone once more up in the tower. He stood in the center of the room, staring at the exit hallway blankly, and let out a long depressing sigh, looking down at his feet and shaking his head.

After standing alone for a few minutes, he looked to his side to see the large window he constructed on the tower, invisible from the outside but clear on the inside. It gave him a physical view of the world beneath him, not one that was behind the lenses of a camera.

He walked towards the window, and looked out into the snow covered wonderland of Happy Tree Town. The Tree Friends beneath them were having a glorious day, smiling and laughing as they should. Ezekiel placed his right hand on the glass of the window as he observed the world in motion, smiling at his creation… at least his portion of it.

Ezekiel soon dropped his smile as he reached into his pocket again, pulling out the same red quill. As he kept his eyes on the sharp tip of the quill, he nodded his head determinedly, and looked out into the world again.

"Merry Christmas to you, Flaky. I'll be with you from here… but one day, we will get home, and we can do it together then. I know we will get home soon… I'm sure of it."

Ezekiel placed the quill back in his pocket gently, and placed his hands at his sides as he observed his world.

_"One match found."_

Ezekiel's eyes widened to an unbelievable length as he heard the speaker say a phrase he thought was impossible. He stood paralyzed at the window as his body shook slightly. He took in a deep breath and slowly turned around to face the Control Room behind him.

"What… what was that?!"

_"One match found."_

As the speaker repeated the same phrase, Ezekiel marched forward toward the computer at the end of the Control Room. His eyes never blinked nor looked away from the screen from the computer, as he saw a sight so beautiful on the screen that it almost made him cry.

_"One match found."_

Ezekiel chucked lightly with an enormous smile on his face as a command prompt on the screen displayed the same phrase. Underneath the labeled prompt was the same file he remembered the years back, the same file designed to take him and everyone else home. After all of these years of waiting, the computer finally found what he was looking for.

The key to unlocking freedom.

Ezekiel shed a few tears as he chuckled, looking up to the ceiling with a large smile. "Well… I guess there is such a thing as Christmas miracles."

He looked back down at the computer, wiping away his tears as he sat down on the leather chair. He rolled himself up to the keyboard and mouse, still keeping a clear view on the computer screen. Once he got himself straightened out on the chair, he brought the mouse to hover the cursor over the file, and nodded his head.

"Just hold on, everyone. We're going home…"

Ezekiel double-clicked the file shown on the screen, and opened a sole execution file. His hands were trembling as he brought the cursor over to the file, and took in a deep breath as he prepared himself.

With a few seconds of preparation, he double-clicked the execution file, and watched the cursor morph into a spinning hour glass, sitting anxiously on his chair while he watched the computer load the file.

Suddenly, a large media player popped up on the screen, similar to the media player used for the personal entry logs. Curious and confused, Ezekiel looked at the black screen, unable to make a conclusion on what he was seeing.

The black screen was suddenly replaced with a camera view of the control room, taken from the computer camera in front of him. After waiting a few seconds, Ezekiel caught view of the Mad Man, slowly bringing himself down onto the same leather chair he was sitting in now.

Ezekiel was baffled at the sight, completely confused and dumbfounded at why a video of the Mad Man was playing instead of sending them home.

He leaned forward instantly as he prepared to listen what the Mad Man was going to say on the video in front of him.

"Hello, Stranger."


	24. Ch 19: One Last Move

**Chapter 19**

**One Last Move**

* * *

Ezekiel sat back with his eyes widened, his hands shaking violently, his heart beating at a fast pace that it could pierce out of his chest, and shaking his head in a state of fear and denial.

Just now, in front of the screen before him, a five year old video was playing. An old video that seemed harmless and innocent in every way.

And it was directed towards him.

As Ezekiel stared at the screen, daring not to blink, his mind went into a state of insanity as he watched the Mad Man on screen smile sadistically, chuckling lightly after just addressing Ezekiel by his old title 'Stranger.'

He could not make out what was going on. A half-a-decade old video by the Mad Man, completely unknown to him, and now, after activating the program to exit him and the Tree Friends out of the world, it suddenly appears, and, the most baffling fact of all, was directed towards him? It was startling and horrifying, a situation Ezekiel never found himself in.

His attention now completely taken by the video playing on screen, Ezekiel kept his eyes on the Mad Man on the old video.

"Oh, I'm sorry Stranger. Did I scare you? It must be shocking to see me after waiting all this time, and to be directing towards you in a video that is God knows how old now, depending how well your skills are at finding a file in a massive storage of billions of others. I hope the wait wasn't too much of a bother, though I'm sure you decided to let the computer handle the workload instead of manually doing it yourself. That's okay; I'd do the same thing if I were in the same situation as you."

"But that's completely irrelevant now; you found the file! Congratulations! You are now one step away from earning your freedom after all this time of captivity! Can you smell that fresh outside air, that cool breeze being felt against your body, and see the beautiful rays of that yellow golden sun in the sky already? Ah, must be such an amazing thought to have, to know that, in such a short time, you'll experience that for real once more."

"Though to be honest, I think right now you are more curious of the fact why a video like this would be playing before the program actually starts. In fact, I think what you are even more curious and concerned about is why this video features yours truly… and is directed towards YOU. A big surprise, I suspect, and one you probably never expected coming. If you did, well, you're smarter than I thought. Though I think we both know this is just a total shocker."

"Anyway, you might be grasping your hands in a fist out of rage, or hyperventilating to a point of a heart attack. Now, I need you alive and focused here, because I did not make this video for you to wait this long and die before I even get a chance to speak, so calm down and pay attention for a bit, will you? Once I'm done, you'll understand everything, be caught up to speed, and earn your freedom. It's like attending a seminar or something before earning your free vacation, so roll with it, will you?"

Ezekiel, not even thinking about it, nodded his head towards the screen as he leaned forward.

"So… why is this video playing… and why is it directed towards YOU? Even after my death, and this video being recorded in the past, it's still addressing you now. So why is that? Why is any of this happening, and why now?"

"Well, Stranger, I'm going to be completely honest here, something I wanted to say earlier… though with the fighting and everything, you might have been dead set to kill me, so there was obviously no time to have this discussion. Preparing ahead of time is always a key priority when being in the position of the Administrator! So why is all of this happening? Well, it is quite simple…"

Ezekiel kept his eyes and ears opened, and waited for an answer.

"I purposely let this happen; every bit of it. Your victory, my death, this very moment now to escape, I planned every miniscule detail of it, and let it roll out as my plan attended. If you've made it this far, with everyone else completely intact and your body still young and alive, than my plan has been a complete success, and I got you to thank for carrying it out alongside me."

Ezekiel shook his head in disbelief. All of this was on purpose? The entire battle, the victory, all of it was intentional; planned?!

"Now, you may be thinking 'Wait, this was planned from the start?' Why yes, yes indeed this was planned from the start. All of this was meant to happen from the beginning, and it went by as I wanted it to be. It was a little bumpy now and then, but it achieved its purpose."

"So why was all this planned in the first place? Well… I'm sure during your time waiting for the computer to find the file, and performing your basic duties as Administrator, you took the time to read through my past logs, detailing personal accomplishments, yearly reports, and all the usual bullshit. If you have, then you must have seen that I was getting bored over time staying here."

"Well, Stranger, that's the biggest reason why this all happened: I was bored. Stranger, when you seclude yourself inside a virtual world for over a decade, living inside a giant tower no one knows about, doing the same routine over and over, running out of ideas on how to kill your subjects, even as God, it can get boring and tiresome. In fact, it can get so boring, that it just wants to make you pull the plug and end it, call it a day, and leave without looking back. Boredom is an annoying part of existence, and is completely dreadful when it happens."

"Stranger, before your arrival… in fact, just a few days before you arrived, I was intending to just end it and activate the Failsafe, killing everyone and walking away. I was done with this world, and this old machine. It could only do so much with the same subjects after a decade, and I just could not take the boring routine. I'm old, Stranger, and just getting older by the day. Even if I wasn't aging in the machine, I could still feel these old bones aching, and I just did not want to waste my remaining years inside a metallic casket. So, I was going to kill off everyone, blow up the facility I designed to house everyone, and spend my final years out in the world."

"But then… YOU came along. Someone new, something different… and something undeniably special. I wanted to kill you off in a heartbeat because I did not have the time or patience to deal with some outsider, and only wanted to leave now… but your appearance… and your overall traits you came in my world with gave me an idea."

"A man, unaffected by the world's main traits, one that could make its own choices and do its own work on its own time, one who retained memories every day, one who could die and never return; you had all the traits of something completely opposite of all my subjects. You had no similarities to the original state of these subjects or generics, and could act freely without my consent. You were something that I could not control…"

"And Stranger, that was exactly the kind of thing I needed to eliminate my boredom. A new challenge entering my world: a man whom I cannot control directly. Someone that, with the right mind, would rather fight me than work with. One that would go off and do the stupidest of things and try to take me down, to act as some kind of hero, to rebel and fight no matter how hard I tried to stop you. It was just what I needed to entertain myself again, a new toy to play with. Stranger… I used you only as an object for fun, and everything you did is exactly what I wanted you to do."

"That is, of course, what I thought would happen all smoothly from the start. It was fun messing with your mind, sending you into a state of insanity… but the moment I saw you contemplating suicide, I knew that I may have gone too far. If you died, you would not return. And if you did not return, what would I do then? I'd have no one to play with, and the boredom would hit me harder than ever. I needed you dearly for entertainment, and you killing yourself was not an option."

"Thus the tower was a perfect opportunity to set up the rest of your actions. It was were I could perfectly set up the events that would change your attitude and give you a reason to keep playing. That red little porcupine girl… Flaky I believe her name is, was just the subject I needed to persuade your mind in order to change your outlook. Of course, with a little inspiration from an exploding truck I summoned, the scared and shy look of Flaky was bound to have an effect on your choices."

"And indeed it did. By using her exaggerated anxiety and fear, your internal instincts to act as a hero could not stop you from promising her to you would save her, and to continue the fight. The moment you rescued her from the tower was proof enough that, with a little push, you could do anything to fight and entertain me, no matter what I threw at you. I'm glad I captured that red head from the outside; without her as a subject, I would never stop you from ending your life. Crazy how a woman like her can have such an effect on your mind. Ah, love is a mysterious and manipulative thing, isn't it?"

"So, everything else from there was just a game of throwing shit at you and seeing how you fought against it. Setting up random situations every other day, sending in Flippy after a long time placed on hold, just throwing anything at you to direct your path to keep fighting forward. The longer I kept you inside the world, the longer I could stay as God and enjoy playing with you."

"But the moment you surprisingly defeated Flippy… actually stopping his internal monster… the most devastating weapon I have ever devised… I was burnt out of ideas. He was my last tool I could think of as an ultimate challenge to stop you. And yet you beat him. It was an awesome battle for sure… but it was the last battle I could think of stalling you. I mean, with Flippy on your side, there was absolutely no way I could stop you from saving others every day and reclaiming back their memories to a conscious state."

"It was then where I realized my time was up. I got the last minutes of entertainment out of you, and I could no longer direct you down in the world. The game was over and I was out of moves… at least, moves to keep playing with you down there. Once I ran out of moves to keep your attention on the ground, it was time for me to pull out and leave."

"Though the idea of just leaving was… well, boring; unoriginal. I could have walked out of my Stasis Pod, marched to the server controls on the outside, and activate the Failsafe just like that, but that would be so dull and boring that it just would not have been worth it. I've been locked up in this world for over ten years, and I'm going to make sure I go out with a bang."

"So once you gathered everyone up in one large group, with their minds set to the best possible level of consciousness, it was time for the big reveal; the evil god of the world! Ohhhhhh, spooky and scary and everything! And to top it off, make some stupid Shadow minions to frighten off everyone and get you all roused up emotionally. You honestly looked a little pathetic being all babyish and down, but of course, it takes a woman's touch like Flaky to pick you up. Oh, and of course your new bud Flippy, who seemed to have taken a liking on you. Maybe because you're a goody two-shoes or something."

"Anyway, you get all riled up, make a militia army, march to town, and go into a major fight, which should happen just about any minute now actually. I wonder how it will pan out. I've got the server running thousands of calculations with the many summoned A.I., so it's going to be stressed to its limits. Still, I'm sure it'll be fun watching a big war take place, with you at the helm."

"But we all know that, at the end of the battle, it's going to be just you and me; two men fighting for the fate of everyone's lives. It'll be the fight of the century, and I'm sure it'll be a big one to talk about when it's over. It is also here where I say my final goodbyes and call it quits. Yep, the moment you walk through those doors that will be my cue to end this, pack up and end it all. I'm sure we'll have a big and epic brawl, and I will look like the big boss who will win, though I'll make sure not to kill you until you finally made yourself Administrator. I'll also have to make sure Flippy doesn't bleed out and makes it to me in time to stop me; perhaps I'll fix all this up when I summon some kind of fire wall to conceal all of this."

"And after that's done, it's over. You'll take command of the world as the new Administrator, kill me out of rage, be stuck in this world for a decade at most waiting to get the file, and I'll wake up back in my Stasis Pod, clean as a whistle, and walk free back out in the world. An epic death and escape, going down fighting; just the way I like it. I wonder how the world has changed since I left it. It'll take time getting used to walking on my real two feet again, but I'll get used to it once I'm up and about in the real world again."

"So yeah, that's how this will end. You killed me, and I'm up in the world waiting for you. Sorry to burst your emotions if you thought you killed me; I'm sure it was a great thought to have, though, like I said, it's always best to prepare for the future!"

As Ezekiel continued to watch in horror at the video, he could hear the sounds of fighting behind the Mad Man, with swords bashing against each other. The Mad Man himself looked behind him and chuckled softly.

"Oh, it seems you have arrived. Quicker than I expected, but that doesn't matter now… actually, before I leave you, Stranger, there is one last thing I want to talk to you about, something rather important and one big reason why I left this video for you…"

Ezekiel blinked slowly as he took a few deep breaths, the Mad Man turning around to face the camera again, his smile dropped to a serious expression.

"Stranger, do you recall when I asked you the question 'If you were given the choice to free yourself or the Tree Friends, who would you choose?' I hope I did ask that and didn't forget it, as it's quite important. Stranger… I wasn't bluffing when I was asking that question. I really wanted to hear what you would do in that situation. You proclaim yourself to be a hero, and promised them that you would free them. Well… now's the time to prove if you really are the hero you call yourself."

"Upon activation of this video, a virus was sent out into the firmware of the server. By the time this video ends, the virus will have reached the Failsafe automatically, hacking through the security walls and breaching the center. At this point in time, the Failsafe has been activated, along with everyone's Stasis Pods, including your own, sent into Lockdown. As of now, the Failsafe is charging up an Electromagnetic Pulse, in which, once released, will be sent out into each occupied Stasis Pod, sending any subject inside into a painful cardiac arrest. In 24 hours… everyone will die."

"Now, though supremely sadistic I may be, I decided to give you the big opportunity of a life time: I am giving your chance of freedom… at the cost of others. Once this video ends, you will have a command prompt shown on screen, giving you two options to choose from. The first option will unlock your Stasis Pod, giving you access to escape before the Failsafe launches the EMP. Though upon unlocking your Stasis Pod, everyone else's will be locked permanently, both inside this world and out. There will be no possible ability of saving them; if you walk out, they will stay and die. But who cares, right? Your plan from the start was to escape this world on your own anyway, they just became an obstacle you brought along with you to help get you here today. Your own life is more important, and you should look after yourself first before them, just like the selfish bastard I know you are."

"But… if you really are hell bent on proving yourself a hero, which we know you aren't, I will give you a second option. If you decide to choose option 2, all the subject's Stasis Pods will be unlocked, freeing them and giving them the escape time needed to avoid the EMP. They will be freed and back out into the world after a decade of imprisonment… but at a slight cost. First, their memories will be completely wiped of this world; they will have no memory of you, if they survived, and will not remember the lives they had in this world; it'll be like waking up from a bad dream."

"Though most importantly… it'll cost your life. Your Stasis Pod will be locked, and you will stay your last minutes alone in the virtual world until the EMP launches, killing you in an instant. The last thing you will ever see is the outside virtual world, with no one around you to see your death, or remember your existence. Your actions will be forgotten, and it will have been all for nothing. But… you DID promise that little girl of yours that you would free her no matter what, right? You're a hero, you're supposed to keep your promises… though we know you're not strong enough to go through with it."

"There's no shame in killing them off, Stranger. Your goal was to escape, and here's your chance. You'll win your part of the game by escaping, with just a simple click of a button. You're almost there, Stranger. All you have to do is make the choice. One last move, Stranger, that's all it takes now. Oh, and… if you fail to make a decision in 24 hours, I'll choose for you by killing all of you, so it's best to make your choice sooner rather than later."

The sounds of war behind the Mad Man were getting louder, which caught his attention briefly before nodding his head to the battle behind him.

"Well, I won't keep you long, Stranger. You have a big choice to make now, so I'll leave it to you to choose. Ah, and, when you inevitably choose to free yourself and kill the other buggers, do meet up with me. When you escape the pod and underground facility, you'll find yourself outside of an old wooden shack on the side of a mountain path. Take the left path; it'll lead straight to the top where I will be waiting for you."

"Oh, and Stranger… I just want to say… it was fun playing this game with you. And it feels so great to have won!"

And with his final words said, the Mad Man clicked a button on the keyboard beneath him, sending Ezekiel's side of the screen to turn pitch black for a brief second before a few words of light-green color appeared on screen. Taking a close inspection of the words, it came out as the following:

_Choose:  
-Option 1  
-Option 2_

Underneath the possible choices was a small clock, slowly counting down from the beginning.

_24:00:00  
23:59:59  
23:59:58  
23:59:57_

As Ezekiel watched the clock slowly tick, he leaned back and noticed the large monitor behind the computer had the same enormous clock, replacing the original screen concerning server data. It counted the time the same as the one on the computer screen, slowly tracking the time until the unescapable death of everyone who remains inside the world.

His eyes never looked away from the doomsday clock on the screen. He didn't have the strength to look away at what was happening and what was finally revealed to him.

This entire time, this entire fight, was nothing more than a fun game from start to finish. Every challenge, every death, was meaningless, for it was just another round in a sick, demented game in the eyes of the Mad Man.

And no matter how hard he fought, no matter how strong-willed or determined he was, no matter how much he wanted to finish the fight and win…

It still wasn't enough.

Ezekiel had lost.

As he stared at the screen for a few more seconds, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk, resting his head on the palm of his shaking hands. His eyes showed a state of trauma, his breaths were beginning to become rapid, and his mind weak and feeble as he tried to comprehend the tragic situation.

A tear slowly ran down his right eye as he stood up slowly, doing his best to prevent himself from collapsing to his knees. He turned around and walked a few paces away from the computer, trying to push the sound of the ticking clock on the screen out of his attention.

Ezekiel stopped in the middle of the Control Room, and, with one deep depressing breath, softly murmured to himself.

"No… no… I… why… this… it is just…"

Suddenly, his hands formed a tight grasp, turning into fists of rage as his body tightened up in anger. Ezekiel looked to the side to see the many pieces of technology ticking away just like the clock. Without second thought, Ezekiel ran up to the machines and began to violently smash and throw the metallic tools around, sending bolts, circuits and metal cases to fly across the room.

As he destroyed the one side of the room, he instantly ran to the other and performed the same violently act, screaming at the top of his lungs as he destroyed all the machines in the room, excluding the main computer sitting quietly at the front.

While working on destroying the remaining pieces of work, Ezekiel took the last piece of working technology and repeatedly smashed it against the metal floor, yelling at a volume that could possibly be heard even outside the tower.

"FUCK! FUCK! MOTHERFUCKING FUCK!"

Once the last piece of machinery was finally smashed to a point of being far beyond repairable, Ezekiel dropped to his knees, his eyes sending out a waterfall of tears to the floor. He laid in a pile of computer parts, while the broken machinery on the sides of the room let out small electric sparks, the room flickering the lights as the power slowly dimmed out.

He placed his palms in front of his eyes, hiding away his depressing expression while he cried away every emotion from his eyes. His breaths were broken as he tried to calm down, his voice crackling while he tried to speak whatever was on his mind, but couldn't get a single word out.

Ezekiel then looked up to the dark ceiling above him, and yelled out while trying to hold in enough oxygen in his lungs to avoid passing out.

"You want me to say it, huh?! You want me to say it, you fucking cunt?! YOU WIN! YOU WON THE GAME, AND I LOST! You happy?! You goddamn son of a bitch! You win… you win…"

With one last breath, Ezekiel collapsed to his right side, holding himself tightly as he continued to cry away the mental pain resting in his mind. His eyes, blurred from the tears, looked at the clock in front of him before coming to a close, his ears now the only thing paying attention to the sound of a ticking clock.

As he sat alone in his tower, with broken machinery and tears dropped to the floor, he whispered to himself.

"What do I do…?"

* * *

With the party bound to start any time now, Flaky was frantically running around her house setting up the remaining pieces of decoration and festive items for the event. Her face showed a worried expression as her heart started to beat out of her chest, the adrenaline and fear to make sure her first time hosting was pitch perfect the first try.

She went back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, where most of the party was intended to be held. She had tables arranged for seating, food and a spot for the guests to drop off their gifts in time to open and share. Flaky had everything planned from start to finish. Now all there was to worry about was executing it correctly.

Her usual social anxiety and paranoia that plagued her earlier years wasn't helping.

Flaky grabbed a few pieces of decoration, and rushed to the walls to start placing the final touches to spruce up the room. She, however, spoke to herself in a rapid and worried manner, trying to calm herself down.

"Oh, I should have started this hours ago! They're going to show up any minute now and I'M not even ready! They're going to think the place looks awful, the decorations are stupid, I look horrendous, and-"

"Need help with that?"

Flaky stood in shock as she made a silent gasp, her hands completely filled with the wall decorations. But then she placed a shy and happy smile as she turned around to see a familiar face enter through her front door.

"Oh, hi, Flippy! You're here early."

Flippy chuckled as he laid a small bag by the door and brush the back of his head, his face turning a tad red. "Well, I did say I would be the first to show up, and here I am."

Flaky kept her smile as she nodded her head. "Well I'm glad you did… especially in this… situation here."

"You started a little too late to set up the decorations, huh?"

Flaky blushed as she turned around instantly to return back and place the final wall decorations. "Hey, I've been very busy getting everything together! As the host, I have to make sure everything's perfect, and it isn't easy when you have to do it alone."

Flippy smiled as he walked behind Flaky, placing his right hand within the clump of decorations in Flaky's hands. "Well, now that I'm here, you won't have to work alone now."

Flaky smiled as she faced Flippy, brushing her hair aside while embarrassingly shaking out a few flakes of dandruff. She could feel her cheeks blushing, and noticed Flippy snickering as he watched her. To avoid looking embarrassed, and to keep up with the schedule, she grabbed a handful of the decorations in her hands and placed them in Flippy's open right hand.

"Y-Yeah, that's right! Now… u-umm, just start placing the decorations where space is available. Cover as much as you can, but keep it even and… stuff, yeah."

Flippy shook his head as he kept his grin on his face. "Yes ma'am, you're the boss."

As time passed, Flippy and Flaky easily cooperated together to place the final decorations all around, as well as setting up the furniture and tables to provide optimal space for the large number of expected guests. Flippy used the back of his left jacket sleeve to wipe off the small droplets of sweat from his forehead, stretching his back after moving the heavy pieces of furniture.

"That… that should do it now, right?"

Flaky took one last peek around the room, using her index finger to point out every part of the room. After a close observation, she smiled and nodded her head. "Yep, that should do it! And I think we still got a few minutes to spare."

Flippy let out a tired sigh as he continued to stretched his aching bones. "Oh good; I can use a good few minutes of relaxing."

Flaky looked over at Flippy and crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving a stern look at Flippy. "Now hold on; there is still one more thing you haven't done yet."

A confused expression appeared on Flippy's face. "And what is that?"

In an instant, Flaky pointed her left index finger to an empty table, showing little significance by appearance. It only took Flippy a second, though, to realize what its purpose was for.

Flippy snapped her fingers and nodded his head quickly. "Oh yeah!" He got to his feet and marched over to the bag he left by the door, and carefully pulled out a small box, wrapped in a colorful decorative paper and a red tie attached, as well as a small tag attached to it. "I have it right here."

Flaky looked at the box curiously and with envy, trying to get a clear view of the name on the tag from her spot though could not make it out as Flippy held it close to him.

Though knowing it was wrong to ask who the gift was addressed to, Flaky couldn't help but question Flippy. "So… who's it for?"

Flippy shook his head as he placed the small box on the table. "Can't tell you. Don't want you spoiling the surprise to the person that will get this amazing gift here."

Flaky blushed a little, wondering what the gift was inside the box… and wishing it to be hers. As she stood still with her hands lowered in front of her, Flippy turned with a smile on his face and spoke calmly. "So you think this will be a great Christmas party?"

Flaky looked away for a moment, trying to find the words to respond to Flippy's question. "Well… I hope so. I want it to be good, but I don't-"

Flippy's small laugh cut off Flaky's answer. He walked over to her slowly as he spoke out. "Flaky, I'm sure it's going to be great. People are going to have fun, the place looks festive and fantastic, and you're completely fine and beautiful. It'll be fun, Flaky. Just stay calm and collect, and you'll be an amazing host. Besides…"

Flippy wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly by surprise. "It's Christmas. It's the time to be happy and celebrate. We'll all have fun with smiles on our faces in the end, you'll see."

Flaky smiled widely as she wrapped her arms around Flippy, holding him gently as she held back a happy tear. "Thanks, Flippy… Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Flaky."

As the two held each other briefly, they were suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. They broke their close hug, both blushing after knowing what they were doing. A second wave of knocks was heard at the door again, this time more rapid. Knowing it was possibly party guests, Flaky ran to the door excitedly, Flippy standing in place as he kept a smile on his face.

Opening the door, Flaky saw two figures: one an athletic looking blond, and standing next to him while wrapped in his right arm was a smiling woman with long pink hair.

Flaky smiled as she gave room for the two to enter. "Cuddles! Giggles! Glad you two could make it!"

As the three all said 'Merry Christmas' and conversed, Flippy stood back away from the crowd, and marched into the kitchen alone. As he secluded himself away from Flaky and the others, he pulled out his phone from his right BDU pants pocket, opening his contact list in an instant.

"Better say it to the guy before I forget. He deserves to at least hear it from someone on this day."

Scrolling down the names under his contact list, he found Ezekiel's name just near the bottom of the list. Nodding his head, he tapped the name and placed the phone next to his ear, hearing the dialing sound of a phone going through his speakers.

As he stood still in the kitchen, his face gave a concerned expression as he heard the phone stay on a dialing tone. For anyone else, this would not be a bother. But for over the five years he has known Ezekiel, he has never once avoid picking up the phone. In fact, hearing the second dial tone was a rarity.

His concern would turn into worry as the final dial tone came on, and the recorded message played on the speaker.

"I'm sorry, Flippy, but I can't reach the phone right now. This could possibly be due to an emergency protocol in the system that I just have to handle now, or perhaps the signal's busted or something and I need to fix it. Just leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"

This was the first time he ever heard the message, and, for some reason, Flippy felt a terrible thought flow through his mind. Something must have happened to make him avoid picking up the phone, and whatever it was, it had to be serious.

Flippy ended the call on his phone and placed it back in his pocket, turning around to see Flaky speaking to more guests entering her home. Starting to breathe at a faster pace out of worry, he nodded his head as he made up his decision.

His heart beating faster as he kept the thought of Ezekiel and whatever situation was going on, he marched up to Flaky and rudely interrupted her conversation with a tall blue-haired man, who had an off appearance on his face.

"Hey, Flaky, I need to speak to you."

Flaky turned around swiftly to see Flippy, having a tad unsatisfied look on her face. She turned back to the tall man before her. "Can you excuse me, Lumpy?" She received an "hmm, hmm" and a nod as an answer.

As Lumpy walked off to the others, Flaky spun around to face Flippy with a slightly irritated expression. "What is it, Flippy?"

Flippy rubbed the back of his head while nodding his head. "I, uh, left another gift back at my house that I completely forgot to bring, and I want to get it before we start sharing the gifts. I'll be back real quick, I promise!"

A disappointed look appearing on her face, Flaky sighed and shook her head. "Just be quick, Flippy. I don't want to tie up everyone."

Nodding his head with a smile, Flippy weaved through the crowd and rushed out of the front door. As his feet crunched through the thick white snow, he found his old green truck parked by the side of the road with the rest of everyone's parked vehicles.

He quickly ran for the driver's seat and hopped in, instantly starting the ignition, placing on his seatbelt, and brought himself onto the road at a speed noticeably above the speed limit.

As he drove down the road, he looked up to see the tall tree in the center of town, keeping one thing on his mind.

"Ezekiel, you better be okay up there…"

* * *

The clock never stopped ticking as Ezekiel kept his eyes on the counter. Leaning forward on his seat and resting his arms on the desk, he could never spend a waking moment looking away from the remaining time he had before everyone's ultimate demise.

He stared blankly at the screen, watching the clock tick away every second to the 0 mark.

_00:30:25  
00:30:24  
00:30:23_

Ezekiel quenched his fists tightly, sobbing quietly as he watched the remaining minutes given to him to choose whose life is more important tick away. Every second his mind went back and forth on a question that should have been given a straight answer from the start. It should have been completely simple for a man like him.

But it wasn't.

As tears dropped onto the desk beneath him, he opened his right fist slightly to reveal the small red quill resting in his palm. It was miniscule in size compared to his normal sized human hands, but still laid nicely against him.

He looked at it carefully and deeply, more tears rolling out of his eyes as the small object he kept reminded him of her, and all the events that happened up to this point. Every day, every second, every moment that occurred, he was reminded of in clear detail. Flaky's lone quill reminded him of everything.

Including the most important memory of all…

His promise.

"30 minutes to Failsafe activation."

The sound of the computer's built-in voice made Ezekiel snap his neck upward to see the clock now beginning to tick away the last half-hour of their lives. Time was running out, and a choice had to be made.

After a few solitary moments of thought, Ezekiel closed his eyes and gently placed the red quill aside on the desk, just away from his reach. He formed his hands into tight fists of rage and emotion, with a few more tears dripping from his eyes.

Ezekiel then reached his right hand out to the keyboard, gently pointing out his index finger to reach the top end of the keyboard. His hand was trembling violently and his heart pounding rapidly as he slowly reached for the button, prepared to make the choice.

His hand hovered over the number. He took in one deep breath and-

"Ezekiel! Hey man, you up here?"

Ezekiel's eyes opened widely from the sound of Flippy's voice in the other room. His heart almost came to a halt as he slowly tilted his head around to look behind him.

He suddenly caught full view of Flippy, opening the double doors and walking inside. Flippy sighed with relieve as he placed his hands by his sides.

"Oh there you are, man. I was worried about you, maybe something happened. I tried calling you but you never picked up, which is really unusual of you to do that. So I just came here to see if you…"

Flippy paused and looked up with a confused look, his eyes gazing at the clock on the large screen in front of Ezekiel. His mouth dropped a little as he tried to comprehend what his eyes were seeing before him.

With his curiosity reaching its peak, Flippy pointed his finger at the screen. "Ezekiel, what does that clock mean? Why is it counting down?"

Ezekiel immediately brought his hand away from the keyboard after hearing Flippy's question. He could feel sweat rolling down the side of his head, frantically thinking what to say.

He swiftly stood up onto his feet, and forced a smile on his face. "Oh, it's nothing Flippy."

Flippy shook his head. "It sure as hell doesn't look like nothing to me, Ezekiel. What's that clock counting down to."

Ezekiel swallowed his throat silently and spoke as calmly as he could. "Well, there's just a minor inconvenience that has occurred and I'm just working on fixing it right now."

Ezekiel's answer only made Flippy become more curious. "Inconvenience? What kind of inconvenience?"

"Flippy, it is okay. I've got it under control."

"That doesn't answer my question. What has happened? Just tell me."

"I said it is okay. You don't have to worry about it."

"I'm not worried, I just want to know what's going on."

Ezekiel walked forward, reaching his hand out to Flippy. "Well there is no need for that. Now just go back to Flaky's and I'll-"

Flippy pushed aside Ezekiel's stretched out hand angrily, giving a stern look at him. "Seriously, what is going on?! I want to know!" He leaned over to the side, getting a view of the smaller computer screen behind Ezekiel. "Does it have something to do with that computer there?"

Ezekiel shook his head as he tried to push Flippy away. "Just go back, Flippy. I don't want-"

Flippy forcefully pushed Ezekiel to the side, and marched forward to the computer. "No, I want to see what the problem is. If it is not a big deal, than you wouldn't have a problem with me taking a look. So what is the… deal… here…?"

Unable to speak any further, Flippy observed the computer screen in shock and confusion. Before him simply laid two selectable options, as well as a smaller version of the same clock above him.

Flippy stared at the screen blankly for a few seconds, analyzing it and trying to make any sense of it on his end. After taking some time to think, he spoke to Ezekiel while still keeping his eyes on the screen.

"Ezekiel… what is this? What does this mean? I don't understand what's going on here."

Ezekiel sighed, lowering his head as he did not want to break the news to him in person. There was no easy possible explanation to tell Flippy… which means he had only one way to tell him.

"Flippy… something… something terrible has happened."

Flippy instantly turned around to face Ezekiel, a tad expression of fear on his face. "What?! What has happened?!"

Ezekiel walked up to Flippy slowly, taking small steps while approaching him. "Flippy… yesterday, just after you left… the computer found it. The file. The one file that contained the key to freedom… our freedom. And with this here… that choice of freedom is available to us. The chance to return home… is just a button press away."

Flippy smiled while shaking his head a little, his mind both enthusiastic and confused. "Seriously?! W-We are going home?! Tonight?! This is unbelievable! Ezekiel… how is that bad in any way? And if you found this out yesterday, why didn't you just set us free?! We should be home right now!"

Ezekiel placed both his hands up in front of him, trying to calm down Flippy's eagerness. "I know, and I would have done it if it where that easy. But… something else has come up… something that… won't be easy to fix."

Flippy tilted his head in confusion. "What can seriously be holding you back right now to stop us from getting home?"

Ezekiel stared at Flippy for a moment, then spoke softly. "Flippy… he planned this… all of it, from the very beginning. From the beginning of the fight, all the way up to this very moment, he planned it all."

Flippy shook his head, becoming dumbfounded by Ezekiel's every sequential response. "Who? The Mad Man? What do you mean he planned this? We killed that bastard years ago."

Ezekiel shook his head. "No, we didn't. It was a setup for just a fun sadistic way for him to exit the world. He was prepared to lose and leave us behind. He's as alive as ever outside, leaving us here to rot away in this world."

Flippy placed his right hand on his forehead. "Well no shit… wait a minute, how does this fact prevent you from getting us home? In fact, how did you find this out?"

Ezekiel nodded his head as he looked at the large screen. "Before I opened up the file, a video played… a video of the Mad Man, who made it during the time we were on the ground fighting our way to the tower, and addressed it to me. He wanted to lose and knew how to let it happened, so he left the video detailing everything to me, including setting up this very situation. That's how I know."

Flippy looked down in shock. "Damn, that's… that's something right there… but, what do you mean he set up this situation? What exactly did he do?"

Ezekiel was silent, taking in deep breaths before speaking out in a depressed tone. "Flippy… the reason why I could not make the choice instantly is… is because not all of us are going to be able to return home. Someone… has to stay."

Flippy dropped his jaw, baffled by the answer. "What do you mean someone has to stay?! Why does that have to happen?"

"Upon opening the video, a virus was released into the world. Right now, all of our pods are completely sealed tight, no way of escape… and… just under thirty minutes from now… when the clock strikes zero… anyone still inside this world… will die."

Flippy's heart was beating faster the more he knew the details of situation, and the more he regretted showing up to Ezekiel. He was shaking his head violently, horrified by the tragic truth of their situation. "Dear God… we're going to die if we stay here… but, why does someone have to stay behind in order to leave?"

Ezekiel sighed as he looked down. "Because, as evil as he was, the Mad Man left me a choice. Either I stay and you and the others leave, or I leave and you all stay. Either me or you must stay behind in order for the other to leave. If a choice is not made in time, we will all die. It is that simple…"

Flippy stood in absolute horror, his mind sent into a state of shock and his heart bursting out of his chest. He looked over at the smaller computer, watching how their lives were all about to come to an end. One second, they will stand tall and alive with smiles on their faces. The next, dead on the floor in a blink of an eye. And no matter what could be done, someone had to die in order to save the other.

Flippy placed his hands on the desk before the computer, and closed his eyes as he let out a depressed and horrified sigh. "This… this is awful. Not all of us are going home… someone has to stay and… and… wait…"

Slowly, Flippy dropped the scared expression on his face, and dawned a rather confused and curious one. Without looking at Ezekiel, he spoke in a worried tone. "Hey, Ezekiel. You… you said you found this out yesterday, right?"

Ezekiel nodded his head. "Yes, Flippy, just about 24 hours ago."

Flippy nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Okay… and you were up here all this time… right?"

Ezekiel was getting confused by Flippy's questions… and also worried. "Yes, I did not leave this room since I saw this timer on screen."

"So… all of this time… instead of making a direct answer on the spot… you spent your time… thinking… if you should go, or if we should go?"

True to Flippy's worst fears, Ezekiel failed to answer his last question. He stared blankly at the screen, swallowing his throat as he nodded his head again. "Ezekiel… I saw your hand… over this keyboard… you were going to choose who was worth living, weren't you…?"

Once again, Ezekiel failed to answer Flippy's question. Flippy stood up tall, still keeping his eyes on the computer, and spoke in a serious instead of worried tone. "Ezekiel… I… I want to know…"

Flippy turned his head sharply, facing Ezekiel, who had a depressed expression, his eyes showing worry and pain. Flippy took in a deep breath, and spoke at him directly.

"What… what were you going to choose?"

Ezekiel stared into Flippy's worried eyes, and took a tiny step back, ignoring Flippy's question all together. Flippy, who was turning his hands into a fist, gritted his teeth and spoke in a darker tone.

"Ezekiel, answer me. What were you going to choose? Who were you going to choose to die here? WHO?!"

Ezekiel stared at his one and only friend, giving him a look he did not want to see as his last. With a deep inhale of air, and tightening up his body, Ezekiel nodded his head.

"Flippy… I'm sorr-"

"YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!"

Before Ezekiel could make a rebuttal, Flippy lunged his right fist towards him. He dodged to the right, barely evading the killing blow of Flippy's strength. He then ducked and hopped back as Flippy repeatedly swung blow after blow in a fit of rage, knowing now his one friend was going to leave him for dead.

As Ezekiel walked backwards while Flippy ran forward to attack, he placed his hands up in a surrender pose. "Flippy, listen, I'm-"

"SHUT UP!"

Before Ezekiel could move out of the way, Flippy swung his lift fist to hit Ezekiel's gut, making him cringe in pain. Flippy proceeded to use his right fist perform an uppercut, hitting Ezekiel's face dead center and making him drop to the floor, his nose now broken and bleeding.

As Ezekiel wiped his face to remove the dripping blood, Flippy hopped onto him and placed a tight grip around his neck, slowly choking the life out of him.

"How can you do this to us, Ezekiel?! I trusted you! We all trusted you to save us! And you were about to just leave us to die, after all this time?! JUST LIKE THAT?!"

Instead of answering with words, Ezekiel used his knees to kick Flippy off him, getting his tight grip to be removed from his neck and received a large sum of needed oxygen. He rolled to the right and got to his feet in an instant, just in time to dodge a rapid fire of punches from Flippy.

Ezekiel brought his arms up, using them to deflect Flippy's attacks while doing his best to avoid harming his friend.

"Flippy, I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't want this to happen!"

Flippy, getting angered hearing Ezekiel respond to him, yelled back at him, his rage-filled tone sending shivers down Ezekiel's spine as he violently attacked Ezekiel.

"And you think WE DID?! You think WE wanted this shit to happen to us?! This captivity, this torture, this madness, all of it?! NO! We never asked for this to happen, and we're not about to ask for it now!"

As Flippy continued to vent his rage on Ezekiel, Ezekiel felt himself losing energy of trying to fight against Flippy's superior strength and stamina. Seeing how he was going to falter any second, Ezekiel bailed and used his ATC, quickly making himself teleport to the other side of the room.

Flippy spun around, and charge forward at Ezekiel. "Oh, so now you're going to cower by using your fancy tool that we practically gave you. You son of a bitch, you were always a cheating coward, weren't you?!"

Ezekiel shook his head rapidity as he spoke in a frantic pace. "That's not true! I do care for you guys!"

"BULLSHIT!"

Flippy lunged forward at Ezekiel, who jumped to the side and almost tripped on his feet. Flippy rolled across the floor and got to his feet, quickly making a dash towards Ezekiel with his hands in a tight fist.

Ezekiel once again brought his arms up in an attempt to block Flippy's attacks, deflecting some but now all, and the hits he failed to hit causing massive damage to his body.

"Flippy, this isn't easy for me! All I ever wanted was to go home, not all of this insanity with a virtual world and shit. I have no choice!"

As Ezekiel attempted to block one last blow from Flippy, he failed to evade the counter-attack, Flippy hitting Ezekiel's left side with his fist, and swiftly forming a chokehold around his neck when he was injured.

Flippy kept his grip tight around Ezekiel, and could hear the bones in his neck move the tighter his grip got. He brought his face up to Ezekiel's, and yelled angrily at him.

"No! WE don't have a choice! We NEVER had a choice in what to do! We were always forced to live here in a false reality, to live everyday in the bodies of something we aren't, to never have a say in what we want to do! For our entire lives we were always being controlled, watched over by someone and never given true freedom. Everything done was nothing more than a lie controlled by a god, and we could do nothing about it!"

Flippy threw Ezekiel on the metal floor hard, continuing to yell loudly at him. "But YOU did! YOU had the ability to choose! You were never forced to follow the rules or listen to some maniac. You could do what you pleased! You could do something about all of this! You could fix everything and help us! And you can certainly do something NOW!"

As Ezekiel slowly pushed himself up on his hands and knees, Flippy looked at his friend with sorrow, his eyes slowly dropping a few tears that rolled down his cheeks. He took in multiple deep breaths as he stood tall over the man he considered their savior.

"Ezekiel… I… all of us, trusted you with this. We looked at you as someone important, who could make a difference on our behalf. You had the ability to change things, to end this for us, something we could never do on our own. You were a hero to us, Ezekiel, a man that we never expected would come and save us."

Flippy walked around Ezekiel and stood in front of him, watching Ezekiel look up with the same saddened face that was covered with multiple spots of blood. Ezekiel pushed himself up to his feet, taking a few step back away from Flippy, who only stared coldly into the eyes of Ezekiel.

"And… and you promised me. You promised me that… that if something ever happened, no matter what… you would save us. You would do anything to set us free, after all of this time in captivity. You promised me… you promised them… you promised Flaky… doesn't that matter to you? Doesn't a promise like that matter to you… don't I matter?"

Ezekiel looked away from Flippy, closing his eyes as he faced his head down to the floor beneath him. He stayed silent as he tried to hold back the guilty tears building up in his eyes. He really was, at this time, planning to break his promise to his friend and everyone he worked alongside to set free.

But worse of all to him, he was going to break his promise with Flaky.

He shook his head, and spoke softly under his tired breath.

"Flippy… I'm sorry it had to come to this. I didn't want this to happen, to you, to Flaky… to anyone. I-"

In an instant, Ezekiel looked up and noticed Flippy quickly reaching into his coat and pulling out his signature knife, clean and sharp, ready to slice open any victim it met with. Ezekiel raised his hands in the air, shaking violently in fear as Flippy marched slowly towards him, the knife raised and pointed forward at Ezekiel's neck.

"You… you are a traitor… a cheater… a liar… a fucking selfish coward. We worked by you every step of the way, got you up here, and now you decide just to leave us all behind, after all we have been through together?! Ezekiel… you're not a hero. You are just like that sadistic son of a bitch that we took down together. You only cared about yourself, and made us a secondary objective on the way. We meant nothing to you, you selfish bag of shit, and you deserve to rot in Hell like the monster you are."

Ezekiel tried to speak, but could not find the words to say. He shook his hands and head as Flippy got closer to him, his knife still raised and ready to kill him. As the tip of the cold steel blade touched the neck of Ezekiel, Flippy shook his head while speaking calmly.

"But I'm not like you, not anymore. I'm better than you. I think what's best for others, and watch out for them now. I am not the same type of selfish monster you are, and I will not make myself that way."

Flippy turned his head around, and noticed the computer was still active and ready to choose. He nodded his head, and made a fast march over to the computer, raising his knife high in the air while making a tight grasp around the handle.

"So if we are not worth saving, if WE are useless to you, that WE don't deserve to be set free, than NO ONE is leaving!"

Ezekiel's eyes widened in fear as Flippy ran for the computer, ready to strike at machine and ruin the chance for anyone's possible freedom. He reached his left arm out and cried loudly.

"NO!"

In a flash of light, Ezekiel teleported from the opposite end of the room to directly in front of the computer. As Ezekiel came out of the flash of light, he looked up sharply to see Flippy's knife heading straight towards him, his skull blocking his path.

With quick reflexes, Ezekiel brought his left hand up to grab onto Flippy's wrist, halting his attack mid-way. Flippy struggled in Ezekiel's grasp, trying to break free from the hold and destroy the computer in front of him.

His eyes widened in shock the unexpected happened to him. Unable to react in time, Ezekiel moved out of the way and brought his other hand to meet the backend of the handle on the knife. Ezekiel pushed forward hard, with the sharp end of the knife heading for Flippy's stomach.

And just like that, there was the sound of skin being shred open, and flesh being punctured deeply.

Ezekiel blinked slowly as he stared at Flippy, who was blankly staring back without any movement. Flippy then took a few small steps back, still staring blankly at Ezekiel while his right hand rested over his stomach.

Flippy blinked once, and slowly looked down to see that his knife was inserted deep into the flesh of his stomach, blood pouring out in a large waterfall, dropping to the floor and forming a small puddle. He gagged at the sight, blood starting to drip from his mouth.

He helplessly brought his hands to the black handle, and tried all he could to pull it out. But the pain was too severe, and his strength was weakening by the second. He coughed a few times, blood still spitting out of his mouth.

Suddenly, Flippy lost all of his strength, the loss of blood too much for him to handle. He collapsed to his knees, the knife wobbling in the center of his stomach. His eyes continued to look at the tragic sight of how his death was to become. His own blade killing him slowly, with his one friend being the killer.

Ezekiel watched in horror as Flippy sat on his knees, bleeding out fast as the pool of blood underneath him covered the floor. He gasped as Flippy, with all of his might, lifted his head up slowly, his eyes barely opened as his face began to turn white.

He smiled slightly, coughing a bit before he spoke softly.

"I… hope you find happiness out there, Ezekiel… God knows we never could have it."

Flippy, with one last breath, fell to his right side, and was dead before his body even hit the pool of crimson blood beneath him.

Ezekiel took one close look at Flippy, and shook his head at the sight as he stood in horror.

He killed his friend.

"No… no… no, God please-"

"15 minutes to Failsafe activation."

Ezekiel jolted his head behind him and saw the clock had just reached the 15 minute mark, the world now on the brink of destruction and everyone who still remains to die with it.

There was no time left.

A choice had to be made.

And in the mind of Ezekiel,

There was only one choice he could make.

He took a glance at Flippy's dead body one last time, and shed a lone tear from his right eye. He turned around and faced the computer, looking at the keyboard with no emotion on his face.

Ezekiel reached his right index finger out, hovering over the number on the keyboard.

He pressed the button.

And a flash of light was made.


	25. Ch 20: Home

**Chapter 20**

**Home**

_**Author's Note: Special Thanks to BlueberryCookieCrisis and Better a Freak Than a Fake for cooperative insight for the ending. Check both of them out as they are both excellent writers!  
**_

* * *

A blinding flash of light was all he could see in front of him. His head was locked in position, his body paralyzed, and his focus placed only on the ball of light which appeared to be coming close to him by the second.

He could feel his body as if it were being uplifted by an outside force, travelling at an immense pace to the point his eyes laid back in their sockets. The light grew brighter and brighter, its warmth warming his body as he came in near contact with the holy light.

And then there was pitch black darkness. In a blink of an eye, the light disappeared and was replaced with a dark shroud of black, cold and blank. The empty plane was quiet to the point of hearing one's own heartbeat, with not a soul to see or a voice to be heard.

What was most frightening was that he could now hear his own breaths, the sudden sound making his body jolt in surprise. He could suddenly feel strength in his bones, his legs regaining strength and his entire body coming to life. He could feel his body freely move, and the blood in his veins flowing through him. He felt alive.

A feeling he never felt in such a long time.

Though despite his revelation of being alive, he was confused why the only thing he saw was darkness. What was more baffling is what he felt around him. Not even a few inches around him, he could feel a cold steel-like barrier encasing his entire body. If he moved his feet, he could feel the back end of the barrier. If he lifted his head or hands, he could feel a solid door in front of him, though it was futile to push it open as it was sealed shut.

His body jolted again as he heard the sound of a lock being opened, and the sound of encased air being released after years of being sealed. He looked to his left and noticed a small line of light at the bottom of the barrier, its luminosity too bright for him to make out what was on the other side.

He moved his body as much as he could over to the light and attempted to reach his fingers to slide under the barrier and enter the light outside. He could feel himself now gripping the very edge of the cold barrier, and noticed that, with a slight push upwards, would reveal more of the light outside.

Without hesitation, he used all of his now-regained strength to push open the barrier, swiftly revealing another large flash of light. He closed his eyes and brought his hands up to his eyes, shielding them from the sudden change of light. He cringed and looked away momentarily, letting his eyes adjust to the new environment around him.

When his vision became clear enough to see, he breathed quietly and slowly pushed himself up, looking around his position to see where his deep slumber had taken place.

What he saw was baffling and yet horrifying at the same time.

He found himself sitting on a large metal casket, with wires attached to its base and a small computer placed on the top. As he followed the wires from his spot, he noticed they were attached to a large pillar in the certain of a large, dark, metallic room. Looking in awe at the massive technological masterpiece, he noticed that it seemed to be turned off, the lights completely shut off and the large computer at the base not making a sound.

Now taking a look around the pillar still from his spot, he gasped as he noticed dozens of similar metal caskets like the one he had just woken out of, each attached to the giant pillar in the center of the room. And, looking carefully at each one, he could instantly make out that each casket was being occupied by another person.

So many questions were running through his head, with no answers in sight. As he tried to scratch his head, instead of feeling his scalp, he felt a solid helmet forcefully attached to the top of his head. Confused, he used his peripheral vision to see a large helmet, also with wires that were attached to the metal casket, on top of his head, though it felt loose enough now to remove.

Not taking a moment to think about how it got there, he removed the helmet immediately off his head, and dropped it to the floor

Letting light green hair from the top of his head finally flow out and rest across his head.

As the green haired man freely felt his forehead, feeling a massive headache from suddenly waking up, he looked over at the computer on his casket out of curiosity, and noticed the title 'Flippy' was typed on the screen.

He shook his head as he knew for certain that was not even close to his real name, nor why it was typed on the computer. Nonetheless, 'Flippy' knew this was not where he belonged, and instantly got up to his feet, looking around the room that he had no idea how to navigate around.

As he walked around the room, he looked at himself to see his body was wrapped inside a white jumpsuit, completely free of dust and hair. He tugged at the suit, trying to take it off as he frantically looked around the room.

"Where… where the hell am I?! How did I get here?! W-What is all of this?! Why-"

As he talked to himself asking questions he knew he had no answer to, he turned around sharply to his right to see the casket next to him had just unlocked itself, letting out a large flow of air that was sealed inside.

With instincts telling him to go over and see whoever, or whatever, was possibly inside the casket, Flippy ran over to the casket and reached both his hands at the edge of its door, making a tight grip and forcing the door open.

As more air flowed out of the now open casket, Flippy caught a good look of the person inside.

A young woman with long red hair, wearing the same white jumpsuit like him, was sleeping silently in the casket, her eyes shut as she breathed softly.

Flippy looked over the woman curiously, unable to decide on what to do with this strange person that laid asleep in front of him. He took the time to look at the computer on the casket, and noticed the words 'Flaky' were typed on the screen.

Shaking his head knowing that could not be her real name, despite the reality that he could indeed see some noticeable flakes in her long red hair, Flippy leaned down and placed his right hand on her left shoulder, shaking it softly as he spoke calmly.

"Ma'am… ma'am, are you awake?"

The sudden touch of another person instantly woke Flaky up from her slumber, jolting up and wide awake as she pushed herself away from the strange man looking at her. She was breathing rapidly and shaking violently, her eyes showing fear as she looked around in horror, pushing her arms out to prevent Flippy from coming any closer.

"W-W-Who a-are y-y-you?! W-W-W-Where a-a-are we?! W-What a-a-are y-you going t-t-to d-do w-w-with me?!" W-W-Why-"

Flippy brought his hands up and gently raised and lowered them up and down, stepping a half-step back as he tried to calm down the scared woman.

"Shhhhh, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. It is okay, everything is going to be okay. I'm here to help you here. That's all I want to do is help you right now."

Flaky's violent shaking simmered down slightly, her heartbeat going back to a regular pace as she spoke more calmly. "Y-You are?"

Flippy nodded his head with a smile as he stepped forward. "Of course. You can trust me, ma'am. I just want to help you." He reached out his right hand, and gave a slight nod. "You can trust me."

At first a little cautious at accepting a helping hand from a stranger she never met before, Flaky decided to take the risk and reached out her right hand to be grasped lightly by Flippy's, and was carefully lifted up to her feet. With her helmet still attached, Flippy proceeded to remove the odd piece of equipment off her head, letting the rest of her long hair come out easily.

As Flippy dropped the helmet to the floor, Flaky looked around the room with a curious and confused look, a little bit of fear still noticeable in her eyes.

"Where… where am I? How did I get here?"

Flippy shook his head as he shrugged his shoulders. "I… I have no idea. I woke up just now as well and can't remember anything."

Flaky looked at Flippy in surprise. "You did?!"

Flippy nodded his head as he pointed to his casket lying next to hers. Flaky looked over and noticed the open casket, her mind raising more questions as she looked at it curiously.

"Were... were we captured and brought here? Did we come here ourselves? What… what is all of this?"

Flippy looked around the room with Flaky, shaking his head in disappointment at how he could not remember any more than Flaky could. "I really don't know, ma'am. This is all so… so… weird."

As Flippy looked around the room, Flaky noticed the many other unopened caskets similar to hers and Flippy's. She pointed to each individual one in the room, taking her free hand to grab onto Flippy's arm.

"Do… do you think other people are inside those too?"

Flippy looked at the caskets in the room and nodded his head determinedly. "Yeah, I think so…"

Both went silent for a few seconds, staring blankly at each casket in the room, unable to decide what to do with the people that could be inside. Flaky, after doing a slow nod, took a step forward, turning her head behind her to face Flippy.

"Should we… help them?"

Flippy remained silent for a moment, reflecting on Flaky's question as he observed each of the occupied caskets. Despite his instincts to help, he couldn't stop himself from questioning the act. He didn't know any of the people who lied asleep in these caskets, and certainly had no clue about the lady next to him. Perhaps they belonged there. Some could be killers or evil people that will attack them once they came out.

They were strangers to him. Could he really trust the man or woman inside these caskets he never knew?

"Hey… I think we should we help them, don't you?"

Flaky repeated her question, making Flippy come out of his trance and stare at Flaky, who was impatiently waiting for a response.

Flippy looked away for a moment, still questioning himself if it was worth helping those inside. He sighed and nodded his head as he spoke to himself in his head.

"Well, I guess I won't know the type of person they are until I see them myself. Can't hurt to get to know them."

Flippy looked up to Flaky with a small grin and gave her a quick nod. "Yeah, let's get them out."

Flaky smiled as she looked to the left side of the room before pointing her right index finger to the right side of the room. "I'll, um, take the left side and work around while you do the right, okay?"

Flippy gave Flaky a thumbs up with his left hand. "Yes ma'am!"

The two strangers worked their way around the room, heading towards each casket's computer attached to the side. They stared at the computer screen, examining them in awe and confusion at the amazing technology that was used here. Luckily, there was a simple 'Open' button on screen, clear and visible to them on the bottom left side of the screen.

Knowing what to do, they instantly hit the 'Open' button on the computer of each casket, unlocking the container and shutting of its power, waking up anyone inside and giving them the ability to freely exit the casket at their will.

It took only a matter of seconds to open up each pod in the room, completely shutting off power to each casket and freeing every stranger inside each one. Flippy and Flaky walked and met each other in the center of the room next to the tall pillar, standing close to each other as they awaited the people they never knew to come out.

They were both thrilled and scared at who they would meet, if they would either help them, or, in the end, possibly hurt them.

They had to put their trust into these strangers and hope it'll turn out fine. It was their only way of getting to know them, and getting some kind of help.

Flippy looked to the right side of the room while Flaky looked to the left watching each person, one by one, awaken from their deep slumber and open up their caskets, either getting up slowly and yawning from their sudden awakening or quickly jumping out in shock and confusion.

The first of the strangers to jump out erratically out of his casket was a middle-aged man on the left side of the room, his head balding at the top after removing his helmet.

"My son! Where's my son?! SON!"

At the opposite end of the room was a small child, younger than ten years of age, who sat patiently in his now opened pod. "Daddy?"

The middle-aged man ran over to his son instantly, his right eye dropping a tear and a relieved smile on his face as he picked up his child after removing his helmet. "Oh my God! You're okay! Thank God you're okay…"

As the child held onto his father, he spoke calmly with a confused expression. "Daddy… where are we?"

The father placed a similar confused and fear look on his face, looking around the room slowly. "I-I-I don't know, son… I don't know…"

"HEY! Who the hell took my hat?!"

Flippy and Flaky looked at the opposite end of the room to see two identical male twins with dark green hair come out of their caskets, the one who spoke furiously throwing his helmet on the floor.

"How the hell did we end up here?! And who's the son of a bitch that took my hat?!"

The other twin shook his head in disgust. "Dude, it's just a hat-"

"Bullshit! It's a symbol of my authority! It's what makes me 'me!' Also, it's MY hat, and I want it back!"

The twin sighed in agitation as the other looked around frantically. Flippy than took his attention to the right to see a young man with light blue hair slowly marvel at the helmet that was on his head, and looked around the room in awe.

"Look at this technology… it's so fascinating and… mystifying. Imagine the work that was placed into all of this pieces of technology! It's so-"

The angry twin growled in aggravation. "Shut up, nerd! We have something worse to think about than this shit, like how we got here… and WHO TOOK MY HAT?!"

The young nerd looked back in anger before letting out a sigh. Flaky looked back over to her side and a man with purple hair slowly push himself up, though was looking around with a blank stare while waving his arms in front of him.

"Anyone feel like helping a blind man get on his feet?"

Next to his casket was another young man with orange hair, who oddly had only bandaged nubs in place of his hands. A young blue haired woman was helping remove his helmet, who looked at it disgust when looking at some of the small specks of dust on the top.

"Sure, let me help."

After his helmet was removed, the orange-haired man walked over to the blind man, who was still waving his hand out to be grabbed.

"Well… aren't you going to give me your hand or not?"

The man gave an angered scowl as he reached out his nubs, squinting his eyes in agitation at the blind man's question. Instead of giving him a 'hand,' the man bent over and let the blind man grab onto his shoulder, wrapping his right arm around him while being hoisted up to his feet.

"Thanks stranger."

"No problem."

Flippy and Flaky stood still as they watched the remaining people walk out of their caskets, all wearing the same white jumpsuits as they did, and all having questions and comments similar to the others.

None of them had any clue where they were or how they got there. They were just as baffled as the first two people who awaken were.

Suddenly, another blue haired man, who was significantly taller than the nerd, looked over at Flippy and Flaky, pointing his right index finger at both of them.

"Hey, you two. You woke us up. Can you tell us where we are and why we're here?"

Flaky looked at Flippy, who shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just as confused as you are, sir. We woke up just now as well."

The tall man shook his head in disbelief as he looked around at the other strangers, each one having the same look of confusion and disbelief as him. They mumbled to themselves as they looked around the room, unable to decide their next move.

Flaky looked behind her as she heard someone clear their throat loudly. It was another grown man with an orange afro, a little deflated after being covered by a helmet for years.

"Hey, sweet cheeks, mind telling us what we should do now? I don't feel like standing inside with a bunch of people I don't know, and would rather go home and eat. I could use a good meal after sleeping for this long."

The twin who was not concerned about a missing hat chuckled. "Yeah like you need to eat more, fat ass!"

Before the afro haired man could speak in a rage-filled tone, Flippy raised his hands up to silence both of them. "Alright, let's not get into an argument at each other. We just woke up and found ourselves in a place that apparently none of us know of."

A young woman with purple hair, who was holding herself softly, spoke with a gentle voice. "Well what should we do? Are we supposed to wait here until someone comes and helps us?"

The orange-haired man, who was holding up the blind man with his shoulders, spoke up with a serious tone. "I say we try to find a way out. We don't belong here so we should just leave."

The twin, still searching for his hat, made a sarcastic chuckle. "Man, screw that. We don't know where we are or how we got here. Maybe we live here now. Maybe the place is filled with traps or some shit. Maybe the outside is some kind of post-apocalyptic world and we need to stay here. Whatever, I ain't leaving until someone explains this shit!"

The nerd crossed his arms as he looked at the twins in disgust. "All of those possible situations are idiotic and most definitely not the reason why we're here… though I do admit, this is a strange place I have no idea where its exact location is, and we don't know how long we've been out. Indeed… maybe there is a reason why we're here… I don't know…"

As the other people conversed with each other on questioning on what to do, Flaky looked up to Flippy, who was observing the people with a concerned look, trying to think of what to do with these strange people.

With a short inhale, Flaky spoke calmly. "What do you think we should do now?"

Flippy jolted a little bit from hearing the young woman and looked down at her with a questioning look. He tried to reply to her question though was interrupted by hat-concerning twin at the other end of the room, who seemed to have given up looking for any sign of his hat.

"What, you're asking THAT guy? How can you trust that guy? He looks like the kind of guy who would probably kill you in your sleep with a sharp knife stabbed through your neck. I'm not going to trust no man I have no clue who he is; I've got no need to."

All the people in the room, aside from the twin, looked at Flippy for his response, with Flaky standing closes to him. Flippy looked at everyone with a concerned look, who were eagerly awaiting for his response.

Before a response came to his mind, everyone turned their heads sharply to the far south end of the room, noticing a sliding door open upwards, with a trail of lights blinking to its entrance. Lights were lit up in its path, revealing a metal staircase leading upwards.

Flippy took only a short glance at the open door before nodding his head, walking towards the door and looking up the staircase, seeing it was showing a long path up, possibly to the surface.

He turned around with a smile and beckoned the people watching him. "Come on, I think this might be the way out."

Everyone stood by their caskets for a moment, taking a moment trust the strange man and follow his lead. They looked at each other hoping if someone would give an answer to follow him or not.

Flippy smiled widely as he watched Flaky slowly come up to him, the red-haired woman giving him a slow nod before turning around to face the others. Seeing how the one woman was already placing trust into this stranger, everyone decided to follow in pursuit and place their trust in him.

The older twin had a shocked expression as he watched everyone leave and meet up with Flippy. "SERIOUSLY?! You're just going right up and follow him because some weak red-head follows him? You're all a bunch of dumbasses…"

The older twin replaced his shock looked with a confused one as he watched his brother go out to meet with the group. "Hey, man, where the hell do you think you're going?"

The younger twin turned around while gesturing his body to the group. "Man, I'm not going to sit my ass in this room and just die when I can take a chance to leave and go home. Besides, if that chick is okay with the guy, then screw it, I'll follow him anywhere. Can't hurt to trust someone now and then."

As the younger twin walked to the group, the older twin growled in anger and was forced to follow his younger brother against his will. "God, what the hell is with you and redheads?"

After a few seconds of waiting, Flippy now noticed everyone was now in one large group and were ready to make their ascent to, hopefully, their home. He nodded his head and turned around to face the staircase, making the first step upwards…

He then stopped and had a strange thought in his head that raised multiple questions in his mind. Without thinking, he turned around to face the group again, and, for no reason in particular, started counting each head he saw in the group.

Flaky had a concerned look on her face and spoke up to Flippy. "Hey, what's wrong?"

After making a quick tally of everyone, including counting himself, he had a total of 21 people. And despite seeing all the caskets in the room being opened, he made a question that confused even himself.

"You… sure this is everyone?"

The tall man in the group overheard Flippy, and looked around and counted everyone himself. "Yeah, sir, I believe this is everyone. Don't see anyone else here besides us."

Flaky, after taking a quick glance at the group, looked up to Flippy. "Do you think someone's missing?"

Flippy thought about the question for a moment, then shook his head. "No… just… just making sure."

With a quick nod, Flippy proceeded to walk up the staircase, with everyone else behind him following in pursuit. Their feet echoed in the stairwell as they stepped on the metal steps, the sound of clanging metal against shoes being heard with each step. Those who thought of counting the number of steps seized to attempt any further as they lost count, the time to reach the top slowly killing them mentally.

Slowly but surely, Flippy and everyone else made it to the top of the stairwell, and were met with a large double door above them. Flippy looked around for a moment and noticed to his right side was a switch, with two buttons reading 'Open' and 'Close.' He quickly aimed for the 'Open' button, and pressed it without hesitation.

The door above the group opened instantly, revealing a rather small and dirty wooden room above. Flippy took a few steps ahead of the group, looking and observing the room above them. It was nothing special, looking like an ordinary small wooden shack, with a desk and computer in the center of the room. Otherwise, it was plain and dull.

But what was most interesting about this room was one last door at the front end of the room they stood in, with a shining ray of light peering through the small crack underneath it. Flippy smiled and looked back at the group, who dawned smiles as well looking at the man leading them home.

"Everyone, I think I found the way outside. When I open the door, shield your eyes. The sudden change in light is going to hurt, but we're almost there!"

Everyone nodded their heads and prepared to shield their eyes by placing their free hands up to their face. Seeing that everyone was prepared, Flippy excitedly jogged to the front door, placing his hands on the knob and ready to open.

He waited for everyone to stand behind him, with Flaky standing by his right side. They all smiled as Flippy turned the knob on the door, and, with one large breath, slowly pushed open the wooden door.

A large flash of light was made, bright enough to blind anyone who did not shield their eyes. Flippy cringed and closed his eyes while covering them with his right hand, doing all he could to make sure he was not blinded the moment before his entrance to freedom.

As he took a step forward, the ground he felt changed from a hard wooden floor to soft dirt and stony rocks. He, and everyone else behind him, took their steps slowly and carefully, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the sunlight before making any sudden movements.

Flippy stopped after taking a few more steps, and slowly lifted his head while opening his eyes to now view the world in front of him.

He sighed in relief and smiled excitedly as he looked around where they now stood.

They found themselves on the side of a mountain path, with a large beautiful forest beneath them. The sky was blue and the air was fresh, with the sun in the sky giving the world the warmth and light it needed. Birds chirped in the air and the wind blew through the land beautifully. It was calm and tranquil, a perfect entrance to the world.

As Flaky exited the wooden shack, they came out of and stand next to Flippy, she smiled widely as she looked down their path, showing an intersection to turn either right or left. She looked up to Flippy and spoke with a happy voice.

"So… where to now?"

Flippy looked both left and right on the path in front of them, and, with a point with his right index finger, gestured everyone to take the right path, and proceeded to walk forward.

Flaky happily walked alongside Flippy, and everyone else followed in pursuit.

They were coming home.

* * *

"And that's it? That's all you can remember?"

"Yes, that's I can recall. Everything else… is just a blank."

Flippy, still sporting the white jumpsuit he entered his original world with, was sitting behind a metal desk in a dark room, with one sole ceiling light above him. His back was leaned back in a rather uncomfortable steel chair, with the room having a cold breeze inside the short space it provided.

He had a worried expression on his face as he conversed with two strange men, their identities concealed by a blanket of darkness, their faces completely unnoticeable to him. Flippy could feel cold sweat going down his sides as the men continued to question him with a harsh tone.

"Sir, you have been gone, off the records, for over 15 years. And now, after all this time, you come back without warning, and the only thing you can say to us is that you remember nothing?!"

Flippy nodded erratically, trying to prove his case as true. "Yes! I seriously don't know how I got back here. One moment I'm in this steel casket, the next I wake up with dozens of other random people with no idea how we got here. I just can't recall anything before that!"

The strange man sighed as he shook his head. "You spin an odd tale, sir. Caskets? Giant computers in an underground facility? It's really all hard to believe."

Flippy looked down for a moment, trying to calm himself down. "I know, but… but it's true. There's this underground facility up in the nearby mountains hidden underneath a wooden shack. If we take you back to it, you can see it for yourself and-"

The strange man raised his hand, silencing Flippy. "No need; we'll have a team there and look into this possible 'facility' you speak of. If they find anything similar to what you described, we'll know. But sir… I wish you could tell us something else. Running away for 15 years and going in hiding is a good way for tax evasion."

Flippy stayed silent and motionless, trying his best to recall anything else while inside the metal casket. "I… I just can't see anything. Me and everyone else… we just can't remember, no matter how hard we try. But… but…"

Flippy looked up, with a tear building up in his right eye. "I just want to go home now… I want to go home and forget about this… and so does everyone else… can we go home?"

The second man in the darkness, who was standing tall, leaned down to the other man sitting in front of Flippy, who returned the silent whisper with a nod. He looked back at Flippy and gestured his hand to the door.

"Very well. Wait outside in the lobby and we'll see to it that you return home. We'll… keep in touch as we look deeper into this matter. Good luck out there sir."

Flippy nodded his head slowly, and proceeded to get out of the metal chair an exit the room with the other strange man by his side.

But he stopped just before hitting the entrance of the door, and stared blankly into the absence of space in the room. His mind was showing something to him, something he could not make out yet felt so amazingly familiar. It felt just like the moment at the facility before climbing up. He couldn't tell if it was important of not, but he had to describe it somehow.

The strange man still sitting down looked at Flippy questionably. "Sir, is something wrong?"

Flippy turned around sharply to face the man, and spoke in a calm voice. "Actually… I do remember something else while inside there."

The man tilted his head while giving a curious nod. "Really… what is it that you remembered?"

It took only a short time for Flippy to explain what he thought he was seeing, and was rewarded with a slow nod and 'thank you' by the strange man. He was then swiftly led out of the room, back to a large open white lobby. Inside the lobby sat all of the people that came with him outside the facility, all of them with worried, confused, and scared expressions.

They all wanted to return home.

As the strange man guided him to an empty chair, he pointed over to the father, who was holding his young son in his arms. With a worried look on his face, the father carried his son and followed the strange man in the room, where he would be faced with the same questions like the others.

Flippy sat down on the seat he was directed to, and looked to his right to see a familiar redhead that entered the room before him. She looked depressed and scared as she held herself with his arms, closing her eyes as she tried to calm herself down by whispering kind words to herself.

Sad to see Flaky in such a state, Flippy rested his right hand on her, seizing her shaking and making her look up to him, seeing a kind smile on his face.

"Hey, everything will be fine. It's almost over, ma'am. In just a short time, we'll all be going home where we belong. Just stay calm for me, we're almost there."

Flaky smiled and nodded her head before sitting up straight on her chair. "Okay…"

They kept their smiles as they looked at each other happily, sitting in silence. Having a question in her head, Flaky decided to break the silence with a curious question that she knew the answer to already.

"So… what did you tell them?"

Flippy shrugged his shoulders as he sat up. "Just like you and everyone else that went ahead before me. I was in a casket one moment, woke up out of random in a strange underground facility, walked with all of you outside to be found on the side of a mountain, and took the path down to the nearest town. Nothing else came to mind…"

Flippy looked down for a bit, getting Flaky's attention. "What's wrong?"

Flippy stayed silent for a brief moment, then slowly turned his head to face Flaky. "Ma'am… when we were inside those… machines… did you ever see… a man?"

Flaky sat back a little, slightly confused by the question. "A… a man?"

Flippy nodded his head. "Yeah, a man. Do you ever recall seeing one in there?"

Flaky shook her head instantly. "No, I don't recall seeing anyone in there. Why… do you think you saw a man in there?"

Flippy sat up straight, looking up to the ceiling above him as he closed his eyes, thinking deeply of the thought going through his mind.

"I… I think so. I think I saw him… just a few minutes before we exited those caskets. I just… saw him there in front of me?"

Flaky, intrigued by the tale, leaned closer to Flippy. "Do you know him?"

Flippy shook his head. "No… at least… I don't think so. He was just there… like the rest of us, I think."

"You mean he was there at the facility like us, inside one of those… things?"

Flippy moved his head back and forth, unable to give a direct answer. "I'm not entirely sure. I just saw him there… doing something before we left. He was at this… machine that had a bright light I could not make out. I was just lying there… watching him…"

Flaky got closer to Flippy, bringing her chair closer to him. "What did he do?"

Flippy stared at the ceiling with his eyes closed just for a few more seconds, and then turned to face Flaky. "He… he looked at me… crying… with a smile on his face. And… I think he tried to speak to me…"

"What did the man say to you?"

Flippy shook his head in disappointment. "I… couldn't tell. But… the moment he finished speaking… he turned around, and all I saw was a massive flash of light. And then… it was over. I was going through this tunnel of light, and… it was over. He was gone, and I woke up in the casket."

Flaky looked down for a moment, thinking what Flippy just told her. A weird thought came to her head, and decided to share it. "Do you think… he saved us?"

Flippy gave Flaky a blank stare, not moving his head an inch. "Maybe… I don't know… I don't know…"

"Do you think he was a good man?"

Flippy looked away from Flaky, letting out a sigh as he spoke calmly. "He… was a man. He had his ability to make choices and choose the ones he thought would benefit him… or, maybe, benefit others. I'm sure he made mistakes and made the wrong moves, some he may have regretted, or perhaps did not care and was satisfied with the consequences. He had his own motives and he worked with whatever he had, and made his own decisions in the end, even if it would affect those around him or not. He… was just a man who made his own choices."

Flippy turned his head to face Flaky, and nodded his head. "But… in the end… I think he decided to be better than something. Whatever reason made him do what he did… I'm sure that the decision he made… was done to make us all happy. Maybe he was good, maybe he was bad, or maybe just imperfect and was neither. He did what he thought had to be done, and now… it's over."

Flaky, after thinking for a moment, smiled. "I wonder if we got to know him better outside here… he would be a nice person to be with. He could have been a good friend if everything was fine."

Flippy returned the statement with a smile of his own. "Yeah… maybe he-"

"YOU TWO!"

Flippy and Flaky jolted on their seats and looked up, noticing another strange man at the end of the lobby pointing his right index finger at them.

"You two, get up. We got your identities set and everything settled. Come on, we're taking you both home."

They looked at each other again, giving a reassuring smile to each other. Flippy got up to his feet and reached his right hand out, Flaky taking out her left hand to be gently grasped by his hand and lifted slowly to her feet. They broke the grasp and walked side to side to the large door at the other end of the room.

They walked through the door together, back out into the world.

And returned home.

* * *

One by one, the old man on top of the hill watched a group of people, all wearing matching whit jumpsuits, exit the wooden shack and take the right path down the mountain. He sat there and watched with an expressionless face as the group left the place they stayed in for years and return back to the outside world, going wherever they felt like they should be.

He sighed as he counted the last one going beyond the horizon and out of his view, he shook his head and placed his hands in his pockets, looking up to the sky as he listened to the birds chirp in the air. The wind made his grey hair flutter, his coat weaving back and forth as the breeze picked up and dropped in speed.

After making completely sure the group had no intention on returning back, the old man walked down the path he stood and made it to the wooden shack, opening it's rotting door and entered the small room inside. He made no hesitation to walk over to the computer, and sit gently on the chair before it.

He leaned forward and typed into the computer a variety of lines and code that would be nearly impossible for the average man to interpret. With a few presses on the keyboard, he clicked the 'Enter' key, and re-opened the hidden large door that closed behind the group that exited the shack.

Nodding his head, he placed a small USB drive into one of the computer's sockets, and instantly brought up a screen displaying '_Transferring Data_.' It took a few impatient minutes to complete, by the computer finally gave all of it's files and data inside the small USB drive. The old man took it out and placed it in his pocket, gently laying it inside.

He got up slowly and looked at the now opened door, leading downstairs to a large underground facility.

He sighed and nodded his head.

"It's time to meet an old friend."


	26. Epilogue, Part I

**Epilogue**

**Part I**

**The Beginning...**

* * *

"Everyone! Everyone, please, I need you to calm down and stand in an orderly fashion. The sooner we get you all set up, the sooner we can start the experiment."

An old scientist, wearing a long white lab coat, was raising his hands in the air, flapping his hands up and down to make some kind of attempt to calm the large group in front of him, who were conversing with each other in a rather loud volume.

His first attempt to calm down the audience was futile though understandable. Everyone in the room all signed up for an unknown experiment that was giving a compensation fee to any participants in the project. But that was all they knew; an experiment, taking place up in the mountains by their nearby town, and starting inside a rather nice and newly furnished house, which looked more like a shack than anything else.

It was reasonable to believe they had questions, and plenty of them.

The old scientist continued to attempt calming down the audience, now raising his voice to speak over the crowd. "EVERYONE! Please, calm down!"

The man's voice, which sounded agitated, caught the attention of the 21 people in the room, all turning their heads to face the old man. The scientist calmly dropped his arms and clasped his hands together, rubbing them as he put on a pleasant grin on his face.

"Thank you. Now, for starters, I would like to-"

"HEY! When do we get paid?"

The old man dropped his smile and looked over to the far right of the group, noticing a dark-green haired man wearing an old-looking fedora. He had a cocky smirk on his face, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

The scientist shook his head. "What was that?"

The fedora wearing man gritted his teeth in anger. "I said: when are we getting paid?! I'm not doing this shit for free, and I was told we'd get paid signing up for this."

The scientist sighed, a little aggravated from the rude man's question. "Sir, you will indeed be compensated for your participation, but only after the experiment is complete. Those are the terms and you must abide it until the end."

The fedora wearing man scuffled, looking away with an irritated expression.

Seeing how the rude man was now done questioning him, the scientist proceeded with his introduction. "As I was saying, I would like to start off saying thank you to all who have come here to participate in possibly the most important experiment in scientific history! I am pleased to see we have gotten a full turnout for this project, and I thank each and every one of you. You all will go down as the first men and women to experience the future of what technology has to offer!"

Before the scientist could proceed with his speech, another man raised his voice while bringing his right hand up. "Excuse me, sir."

The scientist went silent and looked slightly to the left, noticing a light-green haired man wearing a set of BDUs, including a forest-camo jacket and pants. He looked exactly like a war veteran, which looked evident with his beret. The scientist nodded his head. "Yes, what do you want?"

"What exactly is this 'experiment' you keep talking about? What technology are we talking about here? I would like to know what we are signing up for before going any further."

The scientist chuckled as he shook his head. "Yes, I'm sure you would like to know. But don't worry; all of your questions will be answered during orientation. For now, I would like to set everyone up before we go any further."

The solider dropped his hand and placed it in his coat pocket. A red-haired woman with white flakes, who stood next to him, looked up with a concerned look, having similar doubts as he did.

The scientist turned around and went over to the desk behind him, and quickly reached over to pull out two large boxes one at a time, placing them gently in the center of the room for the audience to see.

As the participants watched in curiosity, the scientist opened up the boxes, revealing dozens of pure-white jumpsuits, designed for both men and women. He looked up to the group and patted the boxes with a smile.

"To make sure this experiment goes smoothly, I need all of you to disrobe and dawn these white jumpsuits. They are essential for this project to carry out correctly, and no exceptions will be made."

He pointed his left and right index fingers to the two rooms adjacent from the group's current position, each room's entrance covered with a thick curtain. "Right room is for men, left for women. Just leave your personal belongings inside the large bags with your names on them and they will be safely stored up here."

The old scientist stood up straight and gave a quick nod. "Oh, and I need all of you to remove any headwear. Again, it's essential, and no exceptions will be made."

The fedora wearing man suddenly became enraged, and looked over at the scientist. "Whoa, hey, I am not taking off my hat! It's MY hat and I want to keep it on my head where it belongs."

"You don't remove your hat, you do not get paid."

The fedora man stomped his right foot as he forcefully removed the fedora from his head. "But I feel so naked without it…"

The scientist nodded his head again, placing a large smile on his face. "Once you are all dressed and ready to go, please meet me downstairs where we will begin orientation of the project. Again, thank you all for participating in this project, and I look forward working with you all."

The audience only nodded their heads, still having concerned looks on their faces, but proceeded to collect the jumpsuits from the boxes. As the old scientist went down the metallic staircase, the solider stood in his place, watching the others go ahead as he stood in deep thought.

The red-haired woman, still standing next to the solider, gently pressed her right hand on the man, grabbing his attention instantly. A little shock by the swift reaction, the woman spoke up calmly. "D-Do y-you think this experiment… is… dangerous?"

The solider looked at the red-haired woman blankly, noticing the feared look in her eyes. He sighed as she shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure, ma'am, but something… something just doesn't feel right here."

The red-haired woman looked down and started to shake nervously. Seeing this, the solider placed his right hand on her shoulder, giving a reassuring nod and smile to her. "But hey, I think everything will turn out fine in the end. You'll see."

Seeing his smile made the red-haired woman feel at ease, and nodded her head with a smile. They then both went ahead and grabbed their own pair of white jumpsuits, and went into their designated changing areas.

While the group attended to their goal of dawning their new uniforms, the old scientist made it downstairs to the large facility that laid underneath the small house above. He marveled at his creation, staring at the many metal caskets and large central pillar with a magnificent computer attached to its base. It was a sight to behold.

Nodding his head, the scientist proceeded to walk across the room to the other side of the room and went upstairs, taking only a few seconds to reach a metal door with a sign above it reading '_Administrator_.' He smiled as he opened the door and walked inside, speaking with a joyful tone.

"So… how's everything up here… apprentice?"

Standing in front of a large computer was a young man with, surprisingly, grey hair. Just like the old scientist, he was wearing a long white lab coat, and seemed as eager about the project as he was.

Still busy pushing buttons on the control panel in front of the computer, the apprentice spoke with an equally happy tone. "Everything's doing great up here, sir! Just a few more minutes of warming up the Server, setting up a world template, and a few safety measures on the Stasis Pods, and we'll be good to go!"

After pressing a few final buttons on the panel, the apprentice turned around, showing his brown eyes shining against the florescent light in the room. "Isn't this amazing, sir?! We're here! We are finally here! We'll reveal our machine to these people, and then, when perfected, to the world! We are holders of possibly the most amazing piece of technology the world will ever see! Just think of the possibilities we can do with something like this!"

The old scientist patted his apprentice on the back, leading him towards the window looking down at the room below. "Yes, indeed, it is a marvelous achievement, what you and I have accomplished. To think, not only will a man be able to see into another virtual world, but will now be able to immerse oneself into it, to have full physical interactions in a whole new setting beyond our own. It is simply marvelous."

The apprentice looked eagerly down the window, observing the shiny caskets which would house their participants for the experiment. In just a short few minutes, the work he and his tutor will see if all their hard work has pulled off in the end.

"Imagine the many types of people and organizations to use this technology for. Militaries can plan out battles and predict outcomes before a war even starts. Citizens on vacation can experience their own virtual paradise without the hassle of expensive tickets or travel. And, with the built in life support that could house a human for nearly a hundred years, older people could relive their youth in peace. And that's just the beginning; just think if we could take it a step further, and create one central virtual world that EVERYONE could interact in!"

As the apprentice rambled through his excitement, the old scientist sighed as he placed his hand on the window. "Yes, indeed, many things can happen with this machine here, for both large organizations and an individual." He looked up for a bit, and turned to face the apprentice. "So what about you? If this succeeds, what do you plan on doing with one of them?"

The apprentice placed his right hand on his chin, pondering the question. "Well… I wouldn't mind escaping my boring lifestyle and experience the world's spoils to the fullest extent, no matter how sinful it may be. Maybe go to a virtual Vegas and… well, go crazy there."

The old scientist shook his head with a chuckle. The apprentice shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm a nice guy, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm no saint and far from perfect. Still, it's nice to have a little personal fun once in a while, right?"

The old scientist stayed silent for a moment before giving a slow nod. "Yes… yes, you are right…"

The apprentice crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning his left side against the window while looking at the scientist. "So what about you, sir? What do you plan on doing with the machine if it proves successful? Any types of worlds you want to experience, or anything you want to control?"

The scientist gave a small chuckle, looking at his apprentice with a small grin. "Well… I got one idea that I have been thinking on trying for a long time. And now… now it may just be possible thanks to this machine."

The apprentice held a smirk on his face while happily looking at his tutor. "Something crazy and insane, old man?" He chuckled as he finished his sentence.

The scientist bowed his head for a moment, then rolled his head back and forth. "You could say something like that. I am indeed old, so might as well spend my final years doing something… crazy and mad. And with this, I think I can do just that."

The apprentice nodded his head as he turned his attention to face the floor beneath them, noticing that some of the participants were beginning to enter the room.

"You know, sir? I may not be perfect, and I do admit I've made my mistakes getting here to this day, but, in the end, I still like to see myself as a good guy. Not perfect, just someone who is good. And I think, with this, I can do something good, make people like them happy while helping others. Yeah… I like to think that… don't you?"

The scientist stared at his apprentice, having an empty expression on his face as he reached out his right hand to lay on the shoulder of his young apprentice. He gave a quick nod while looking at the machine behind them.

"Our subjects will be ready any minute. You'd best set up the final settings so we can start this right away."

The apprentice gave a quick military salute and turned his attention to the machine behind him. "On it sir. I'll head inside the Server through my Stasis Pod and fix up any final adjustments before the participants enter their pods. Should take only a few minutes to prepare. Once set, me and you can decide a world template for them to experience, and we'll take over the rest of the experiment together as Administrators. That sound good?"

The scientist nodded his head while giving a thumbs up with his right hand. "Sounds alright with me. You have any ideas for a world template, apprentice?"

As the apprentice prepared his Stasis Pod, he looked at his tutor while simultaneously working on his Stasis Pod. "I got a few ideas. Maybe try a cloned version of the real world, see how they react to that, then maybe try something funny, like a world from a cartoon or popular game or something. What about you? Got anything special lined up for them?"

The scientist nodded his head. "I have something special in mind for them, yes, but I'll keep that as a surprise for now."

The apprentice finished up all final preparations on the computer on his Stasis Pod, and opened the metal casket, revealing a clean table and a metal helmet with wires attached to it. He swiftly entered the machine and attached the helmet to his head, tightening it and making sure it would not slip off during entry.

He looked at his tutor one last time, and gave a small grin. "I'll see you in there, sir."

The scientist waved his right hand to the apprentice, and watched the casket close on him, the sound of techy beeps and words coming on the computer as the apprentice now lied safely inside the walls of the casket.

He stood there momentarily, staring at the apprentice's now occupied casket, and swiftly turned his attention to the computer screen. In an instant, the old man rushed over to the computer and quickly started entering lines of codes and hitting buttons as an alarming rate.

The old scientist sighed depressingly as he rapidly typed into the computer while removing some important wires attached to the side of the casket.

"I'm sorry, my apprentice, but you and I have two different goals in mind. You've been a good person to me supporting all of this, and I thank you for making this a reality. But your ideology and good self will only hinder my plan, and I just cannot allow that to happen. I'm sorry… but this is how it has to be."

With one final button pressed, the computer on screen flashed red, with the words '_Error_' flashing on screen. After a few seconds of the message showing, thousands of lines of code scattered across the screen, completely illegible to the average man.

The words suddenly came to a halt, and the final message came up.

_Administrator's Stasis Pod  
Now set to: Backup  
Occupant now set to: Standby  
Occupant Data… stored in backup files_

The old man wiped his forehead of the cold sweat dripping down to his face, and sighed while shaking his head. He betrayed his own apprentice, sending him into the unknown abyss of the server while taking away all of his memories and personality traits. The man inside was now trapped and forgotten. His memories of this entire moment washed away. The person he was erased from existence. Until the day he was decided to return by his tutor, and in any shape or form, the apprentice will forever lay dormant inside his casket,

"I'm sorry, my friend, but this is the only way for me to achieve my dream. I wish you could experience it with me, but I know you too well. I hope, when my time comes, you will forgive and understand me."

The old scientist turned around and walked towards the window, and looked down to see all of the participants now dressed and ready for the experiment. He nodded his head slowly while closing his eyes.

"My dream of becoming God is almost here. It only take one more move. And it will be me... and me alone that will control it all. I will be known as the true Administrator... the true God of my own world, and the only one to hold it. I'm sorry, apprentice, but this is my story. And I will lead it down my way... without you in it."

The old scientist swiftly turned around and headed back downstairs, wasting no time to meet his participants again and start, one by one, entering their future prison cells.

And the only thing the apprentice could do was lay silently in his casket as the mad man carried out his plan.

* * *

The Mad Man stood over his old casket, wiping with his frail right hand across the metallic surface. Years without anyone attending to it has created a thick coat of dust on the top, evident by the amount of dirt that wiped away from the touch.

He shook his head as he patted his casket one last time, having the memories of his sadistic past be brought back to life just by the sight of the magnificent machine. The Administrator office he stood in is where is all happened, how everything came to be. It has so much significance to him that he remembered the most important piece that helped him get this far.

Only glancing to the right slightly, the Mad Man noticed a second casket, similar to his own, right next to his. It had the same fancy decorating look that differed greatly from the smaller pods downstairs, and, just like his, was covered with a thick coat of dust.

He walked over to the second casket, and looked at the onboard computer. He shook his head in disbelief as the screen was completely jet black, with total silence underneath the cover of the casket. The Mad Man didn't have to think hard to know the man underneath was dead, lying silently in his chamber.

The Mad Man placed his right hand on the casket, leaning closely to its surface as he spoke softly.

"So… you really did it, didn't you? My apprentice, who worked beside me for so long, in the end, fought to his last breath, never backing down and fighting to the very end. You kept your one wish closely to you and, no matter what was thrown at you, it could not be corrupted enough to completely change you in the end. Even with death as a consequence, you stayed true to it, even if you had faults on the way."

The Mad Man walked back a bit, and grabbed a small metal chair in the corner of the room. He placed it gently in front of his apprentice's casket, and wiped the dust from the seat. He sat down slowly, and leaned back as he continued to converse with the object housing the dead man inside.

"I must say, apprentice, that I am, and I am true when I say this, surprised to see you go this far and stick to it till the end. Even at the cost of your life, you decided to rest your duty on making them happy instead of you. Well, I must say, you succeeded in doing that, even if it's a tad cliché to see you go through such a stunt."

The Mad Man leaned forward, still facing the casket. "But it is true; you've surprised me. Whatever made you change your mind, you still kept true to who you were before. No matter how much I tried to manipulate you, change you from the start, mess with your memories and mind, to completely make you different from who you were to start, I just could not crack you and make you the same image as me. You were always different from the start to the end."

He shook his head as he brought out a smile. "Oh, apprentice, I wish you were here to hear this in person, but I guess this will have to do. Apprentice, I just wanted to say… you won. You won the game. No matter what I did or what I threw at you, you still fought me to the end, even at the cost of your life. You may have died, but that determination to stick to your choices and not let someone else change you surprises me, and for that, I give you the victory of this game. Congratulations, my apprentice… you beat me…"

The Mad Man chuckled lightly, wiping a small tear from his right eye. "Oh, apprentice, I'm… I am sorry this is how it had to turn out. If you were like me from the start, we would have so much fun in the beginning. None of this fighting and manipulating shit. We'd be close together, having our own little sadistic world to play with. Someone to work with as two powerful gods. But… I knew, having you beside me during this, you would never be the messed up person I am. You were just too nice to be the crazed screw up I am."

He closed his eyes, still wiping them of any tears that tried to crawl out. "I'm such a mess, apprentice, and it's my fault for letting something like this happen. You always had the better idea for the long run. I shouldn't have tried manipulating or lying to you to try and become the sadistic monster like me. I shouldn't have used you as a final scapegoat for my personal entertainment. If I didn't stop you in the beginning and let you come with me from the start, we'd be holders of a great machine and maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have been so corrupt. Perhaps I would have seen the light you saw, and… change…"

He went silent for a moment, looking away from the casket as he went into deep personal thought. "Storing you aside... and only bringing you back so I could manipulate you and play with you... making up stories and lies to avoid giving the truth about us... to make it look like you had no involvement and I was the true holder of all of this... I should have just given you the truth why I brought you back and how you got here to start. You had every right to know, as you had just as much involvement with this as I did. If I made sure you stayed with me from the start, I would have indeed changed."

The Mad Man shook his head. "But I think we both know that would never happen. I'm just not that kind of guy. In the end, something like this was bound to happen one way or another… I just wished it was never the case… it should have gone down so much more different than this… it really should."

After taking a brief moment to calm down, the Mad Man stood up and pressed the button on the casket, unlocking its base. He placed a weak grip on the handle, and slowly lifted it up.

"But what's done is done. They live, you died, and I have one last thing to take care of so I can forget this entire stupid game and we can both go forth with our new lives."

Upon opening the casket completely, the Mad Man got a clear view of the man underneath the metal cover.

A young man, wearing a lab coat, lying lifeless inside. His eyes were shut, and his heart dead.

The Mad Man shook his head as he leaned down to remove the helmet from the young man's head. Safely and gently placing it aside, the Mad Man lifted the young man out of the casket, holding him under his legs and under his back.

The Mad Man looked at the lifeless face of the young man he held, and nodded his head.

"Come, Ezekiel… it's time to take you home."

The Mad Man, using every bit of whatever strength still rested in his old arms, carried Ezekiel's lifeless body out of the room and back to surface above them.

And, as the Mad Man exited the facility one last time, the last of the ceiling florescent lights turned off, leaving the entire facility inside a shroud of darkness…

With the exception of one blinking light on the computer in the center of the main room.


	27. Epilogue, Part II

**Epilogue**

**Part II**

…**and the End**

_**Author's Note: This is it. The last posted chapter for The Stranger. I hope it makes for a good second part of the conclusion and you all enjoy it!**_

* * *

As Ezekiel pressed the button on the control panel in front of him, a flash of light was made.

The built-in camera on the computer screen in front of him flashed on, activating its bright light and giving clear view of Ezekiel's face within the dark metal room. He shielded his eyes for a moment, letting them adjust to the sudden change in light, and blinked slowly as he looked at the computer screen, noticing the camera was now recording the footage.

Ezekiel nodded his head while breathing slowly and leaned forward to the computer, resting his hands on the table before the computer. His body was shaking as the camera continued to roll the footage. Tears continued to roll down his eyes as he formed his hands into a tight ball.

He took a few more seconds of mental preparation, wiped the tears attached to the cheeks of his face, and looked up to the camera, staring directly into the lenses with a determined look.

"Administrator's Log. Date… doesn't matter anymore."

"This… t-t-this is m-my last log entry… forever. Some… s-something has come up… and there i-is nothing I c-can do to fix it… not w-without making things a-any worse…"

Ezekiel looked around the room, trying to calm down as he thought of the words to say.

"All of this… this madness, this game, this… absolute hell… none of this is what I wanted… none of this is what they wanted… but this is the situation we found ourselves in… it was unavoidable… and the results… will never be perfect."

"All I wanted was to just go home… to just leave and never look back on this… to forget this world and return to my own… but this is where I found myself in… and I can't run from it… not anymore."

"No matter what I tried or how determined I was, it was, in the end, a futile attempt. There was no escape from this world that would be easy. It was, from the beginning, just a trap with no exit, and the only way out… is to become like him."

"Now… at this moment… I have the control over life and death… who is more important over the other. These subjects, these… people… they are all strangers to me. I don't know who they are out there in the real world. I don't know if they are good or bad. I don't know any of them… and… and yet…"

Ezekiel faced the screen again, giving a quick nod.

"And yet I care for each and every one of them as if they were a cherished friend. They are just innocent people like me, who have their own lives and make their own choices, be it good or not. Despite not knowing a single thing about them, I can't help but still give care to each one of them. They are people that deserve their right to freedom like me… and… and I can't just take that away from them…"

Ezekiel closed his eyes as he shook his head.

"That bastard… he… he wants me to be just like him. All this time was just him trying to manipulate me to be just like him: a sadistic son of a bitch who doesn't give a damn about others. To become a person far different from me. To be controlled by a mad god and have my choices be controlled and influenced by someone else. He was… trying to control me…"

He opened his eyes instantly, and slammed his right fist on the table.

"But I won't let him do that to me! I am not the perfect person… no one is perfect. We all make our mistakes, make choices that may be selfish, and have regrets in our actions. It is human nature to make mistakes… and I know I made one too many…"

He turned around and faced the limp body of Flippy, lying dead on the pool of crimson blood beneath him.

"But I am not like him. I know I am not like him. I won't be like him. He will never control me and make me become something I'm not. I have the ability to make the right choices, my choices… no matter what the consequence is. I can stand by who I am… and do what I feel is right…"

Ezekiel faced the buttons on the keyboard again, stroking the top of it with his left hand.

"This isn't how I wanted any of this to end. I… I only wanted to end perfectly… to leave… and save the others… without any of this mess. But… life is not perfect… and perfect endings will only be found in fairy tales. There is no escape from this… no matter what I can try now…"

He turned his face slowly to the right, and noticed the lone red quill on the desk. Ezekiel's right eye shed a tear as he reached with his right hand to hold it gently. He nodded his head as he faced the keyboard again.

"I can still make the right choice… I can still win on my terms. I won't let myself be corrupted and become like him. I am me, and I will choose what I think is right. I made a promise…"

Ezekiel placed the quill just below the keyboard in front of him, and looked up to the camera.

"And I intend to keep it. This is Administrator Ezekiel Pearce, signing off."

He pressed the button on the keyboard, and the light from the camera turned off, saving the recording and bringing the computer screen back to its original selection, along with the countdown timer, now showing just less than 11 minutes to spare.

Ezekiel turned around to face the lifeless, limp body of Flippy, his eyes half-shut while his skin cold to the touch. Ezekiel held back the tears in his eyes as he nodded his head slowly, taking in a deep breath as he spoke calmly and quietly.

"I'm… sorry, Flippy. This is not how I wanted it to end… I… I hope you'll be able to forgive me in the end…"

He turned to face the keyboard one last time, and placed his right index finger over the number '2.' His finger rested gently on the surface, with only a little force needed to push it down.

"I… can't derive you of your freedom… I won't derive you of your ability to choose… or anyone else's… even at the cost of my own…"

Ezekiel took one last deep breath, and closed his eyes shut.

"Because that's what I choose… to set you free."

He pressed the button swiftly and without a hint of regret. He smiled lightly as he opened his eyes, staring at the computer screen in front of him. Ezekiel took a small step back as the screen suddenly went black, shutting off instantly.

A confused expression grew on his face as he looked around. It was only a few seconds after he pressed the button, though there was no apparent evidence of anything happening. No sound, no sudden movements, just the same quiet atmosphere in the room.

Ezekiel jolted back as he turned to face the body of Flippy, and stared in awe at what he saw.

Flippy's body was emitting an outer bright glow, light blueish in color. As Flippy's body began to be consumed by the bright light, his body slowly deteriorated in small particles of dust. While it took time, Flippy's body went from being completely visible to being transformed into a small blue orb, shaped with the particles of dust.

Ezekiel kept a dumbfounded look on his face, staring at the sudden disappearance of Flippy's body and the creation of the orb in front of him. Curious, Ezekiel walked slowly towards the floating orb, and reached out his right hand to touch the outer surface of its ominous glow.

Suddenly, the orb started to float around Ezekiel in circles. Ezekiel tried to keep up with the floating orb with his eyes, getting dizzy as it picked up momentum. The orb, after circling Ezekiel roughly ten times, flew off away from him and out into the central room outside of his office.

Ezekiel shook his head as he chased after the blue orb, watching it fly off and outside the window in the central room. He collided with the window hard, hitting his head lightly against the glass. He placed his right hand over his forehead as he looked out the window, watching the blue orb lower itself to the base of the tall tree Ezekiel hid in.

As he rubbed his head, he dropped his jaw when looking out into the depths of the city. Similar to Flippy's, Ezekiel could see just under two dozen other blue orbs of light flying out of the city, all heading towards the tree in the center. He watched them all gather up in one large pile at the base of the tree, sticking together closely.

Ezekiel felt a tremble underneath his feet, and looked down to notice nothing in particular. The tremble got worse, and his footing was lost as he felled back on his posterior, landing hard on the metal surface. He looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the trembles, which was starting to become the equivalent of an earthquake.

He covered his ears as the sounds of what was a loud gunshot went off just underneath him. Ezekiel's ears rang violently from the loud sound, unable to even hear his own breaths. He brought himself up to his feet and looked up to the ceiling, knowing the sound came directly above him.

Ezekiel swiftly turned around and made a quick dash back to the control room, as the larger computer at the end of the room revealed a marvelous sight on one of the viewpoints outside the tree.

A large blue beam was being emitted from atop the tree he stood in, reaching up to the heavens above. As the beam shot through the sky, a large portal was being opened, the clouds around it circling in a counter-clockwise motion. It grew brighter and brighter as the beam shot through the sky, its luminosity lighting up the whole city around it.

Ezekiel marveled at the sight, unable to look away from its beautiful glow. Something then caught his attention as his peripheral vision picked up a small movement occurring at the base of the tree. His eyes were met with the sight of the blue orbs rising above the tree, forming a single file line in an orderly fashion.

The orbs proceeded to circle around the tree at a high velocity, slowly trailing up the outside of the tree as they moved faster and faster. Ezekiel took a step back from the large computer and watched the orbs make their way to the very top of the tree, encircling it one last time.

Ezekiel shed a lone tear as he watched the orbs now shoot upwards to the large bright portal in the sky above, heading towards the magnificent and beautiful light towards their freedom. They went in one by one, never wasting time to stop and look back.

As the last of the orbs went through the portal, the beam that emitted atop the tree suddenly turned off, and the portal slammed shut, making the sound of loud crackling lightning throughout the land.

And, just like that, in a matter of a few seconds…

Everyone was set free…

Except for Ezekiel.

As he watched the names of all the people inside the world disappear from the screen, Ezekiel wiped the tear from his right cheek, sniffled his nose, and nodded his head as he gave a small smile.

"Good luck out there Flippy… Flaky… everyone…"

Ezekiel looked down away from the computer and to the keyboard in front of him. Just below it he noticed the lone red quill he placed earlier. Still holding his smile, he reached out and held it gently with his right hand, bringing it close to him as he tilted his head to the left.

His eyes widened in shock as he noticed a sudden sight. The red quill, just like the body of Flippy, was deteriorating in a light blue light in the palm of his hand. Ezekiel could only watch as the red quill went from resting in his hands to disintegrating into a blueish dust, flying off into the air and erased from existence.

He turned around him quickly as he saw the lights of the room shut off one by one. The central room turned off its lights before the main control room, each individual light turning itself off without warning. Once the lights were shut off, the remaining pieces of technology in the room turned themselves off, now inactive and completely dead silent.

It was now left to the large computer at the very end of the room. Ezekiel faced the computer with a blank stare, watching the screen keeping its view on the large tree in the center of town. The light on the screen began to dim slowly, and went completely dark after only a few seconds.

And then…

There was silence.

Complete silence resting in a shroud of darkness.

Ezekiel was now left alone to his final hours in solitude, trapped in a virtual world and to never see the light of the real world again.

And he was okay with that.

He let out a soft, depressed sigh as he looked down, standing in the center of the room and unable to even see the floor beneath his feet. His attention was captured by the sudden glow of the ATC strapped to his left forearm. Its built-in light turned on, almost lighting up the entire room he stood in.

Ezekiel brought the computer up to his face, and noticed the only visible words on the screen was a timer counting down.

_9:57  
9:56  
9:55_

He brought his left arm back to his side again and looked around the room in silence. There was nothing of interest in the room anymore, and no one else to converse with. He shrugged his shoulders, and turned around to walk out of the control room, holding his forearm out in front of him to use the bright light on his computer as a flashlight.

Ezekiel stood in the central room, just as dark as the room he exited. Seeing there was nothing of interest here either, he entered the exit hallway left of him, walked down it quietly, and took the elevator down to the bottom floor. Once there, he noticed it too was as dark as the previous two rooms he entered.

Still seeing nothing of interest, Ezekiel decided to do one last thing before his time was up. Something he wanted to do all his time stuck as the Administrator.

He smiled as he walked to the hidden front door. He waited for a moment and pressed a tiny button just on the side of it. In an instant, the door slid upwards, revealing its exit to the outside world.

Ezekiel looked around from his spot at the front door to see he now stood at the base of the tall tree at the center of town. The sun was setting on the horizon, its bright rays creating an extravagant orange sky up above. The snow still rested nicely on the cold ground, and a cool breeze blew through the air.

But aside from the refreshing breeze, it was completely silent. No birds chirping, no people conversing with each other, no cars driving on the roads…

Nothing.

Ezekiel looked back and forth on the hill he stood, observing the small incline that led up from the base of the hill to his current position. He stood up tall and nodded his head, and walked down the hill carefully, making sure not to trip or fall over any rocks or solid objects hidden by the snow he trekked through.

Once down the hill, he continued to march forward through the empty streets of the city. Everyone, both unique and generic, was completely absent from the sidewalks, the buildings, or the roads. Ezekiel looked to his left and right as he took slow steps across the asphalt on the road, his steps almost echoing through the quiet atmosphere of the city.

He shook his head with a depressed look on his face, looking down at his snow-covered shoes while continuing to walk down to the end of the road. Once he made it near the end, he was met with the opposite hill at the end of the city, and continued to climb to the top and make his journey out of the city.

Ezekiel looked up to see the clear view of the soon on the horizon, walking towards the orange glow it emitted. Just in front of it, Ezekiel noticed he was heading for the large park where everyone would come together for recreation and fun. He smiled as he looked around the park, even if it was completely barren.

He then stopped and took a close glance at the pavement, the setup of the park, and the large lake at the center, now completely frozen due to the cold temperature. A tear rushed out of his eye again, making a large joyous grin on his face as he recalled the days in the past as one of the active people in the town.

Just over five years ago, this was the same park he and Flaky went on their first date… and the same day he made the promise to her that he would, no matter what, save her and everyone else from the damned world they resided in.

And he kept that promise today.

Placing his hands in the pockets of his coat, he looked over to see the same old tree he and Flaky rested underneath during the hot summer. He walked over to the tree, observing the beautiful oak wood while noticing the absence of any colorful leaves during the seasons prior. Ezekiel stood to its right side, and rested the palm of his left hand on the side of the tree.

Ezekiel patted the old tree while nodding his head, looking up to it as if it were an important monument. He kept his smile as he stared blankly at the bark of the tree, nostalgia and pleasant memories recollecting in his mind.

He jumped in shock as his ATC made a loud beeping sound. Ezekiel quickly brought the computer to his face and noticed it was now counting down the remaining five minutes of his life. Ezekiel could feel his heart beating a little faster as the fear of his sudden inevitable death was approaching by the second.

Ezekiel took a deep breath to calm down, and brought his right hand to touch the screen of the ATC, bringing up a list of commands for him to choose. He tilted his head with a question thought, then made a happy grin.

"Last day to do this; might as well go out the way I like it to."

He entered a few commands, and pressed 'Enter' on the command prompt. Ezekiel's body suddenly emitted a bright light, engulfing his body from head to toe. His body structure slowly began to shorten, his height getting smaller, nearly half his original height.

While his height dropped, his own appearance changed significantly. His body turned grey with fur covering his skin. His hands morphed together in a paw shape. And a tail grew out from his lower backend. He went from being human to an anthropomorphic creature in one flash of light.

When his transformation was complete, Ezekiel opened his eyes and noticed he was back to his original form all those years back. The body of the old Tree Friend form the world was set to be brought back to him, now by choice instead of force.

He smiled at his old body, somehow happy to see it again despite hating its appearance for so long. It just felt right for the time being, and felt good to be back where he started.

There was only one last thing for him to get rid of. Ezekiel, still holding his smile, took off the remaining clothes he had and unhooked the lock on the ATC resting on his forearm, letting it slide off and hit the snow beneath him. He threw his coat, pants and shows to the side, and shook his body once he was completely absent of clothing.

He chuckled as he looked at his now naked form, though felt no shame with all the dark fur that covered his entire area. The extra use of the fur providing warmth was also a well added bonus, and stood with a grin on his face while marveling at his old body.

Ezekiel looked up again and stared at the base of the tree again, noticing the side facing the frozen lake lacked a person there, giving a free seat for the taking. He nodded his head and walked over to the front side of the tree, and slowly brought himself to sit down on the cold ground.

His tail rested on his side as he leaned back on the bark, his head resting on the bumpy wooden surface of the tree. His eyes looked out to the sun and frozen lake in front of him, the two mixing together to make a perfect and beautiful scenery. He smiled as he sat in awe of the final view of his world, and enjoyed it without ever making a sound.

Ezekiel closed his eyes after a few more minutes, waiting and accepting his death, which should arrive in just under a minute. Despite his acceptance for his life to seize, he began to cry softly, tears flowing down both his cheeks as he sat alone by the tree. He knew he was scared beyond imagination, and was praying not to end this way, but he had no choice but to face his end alone and accept it.

He held himself with both his arms, crying away his fears while sitting quietly by the lone tree in the park.

Ezekiel then brought his depressing thoughts to a halt as he felt something tough his right shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly, rubbing away the wet tears stuck to his cheeks. He blinked slowly as he turned to face his right shoulder, and look what was resting on it.

He didn't smile nor looked shock, but in his heart, he was as joyous as he had ever been his entire life.

It was a red hand, smooth to the palm while having a soft patch of fur on the top. He followed the arm the hand was attached to and noticed a red porcupine, looking down at him with a smile that reached both ends of her face.

Ezekiel did not utter a word or make any movements. It had to be just his last minute imaginations getting to him, and made nothing of what he was seeing. It was not real and only a taunting vision before his death.

And yet, he did not stop the red porcupine from sitting down next to him, taking his right arm, laying it gently over her shoulders, and leaning against him softly, sighing in relief as she closed her eyes slowly. He looked at her without any expression, watching her relax against his side and in his arms happily.

Before Ezekiel could speak to the random appearing woman, he felt another touch on his left shoulder, this time three quick taps. He turned his head sharply to the left to see a light-green bear, standing over him while wearing a military jacket and beret. He looked down at him with a cocky smirk, and nodded his head at Ezekiel.

Ezekiel attempted to find the words to speak, though remained silent as the green bear sat next to him, resting his head on the palms of his hands that laid against the tree behind him. The male bear closed his eyes as he breathed softly, not making any attempt to converse with Ezekiel, only sitting next to him.

Completely shocked at the sight, Ezekiel opened his mouth before shutting it after seeing more people come from both sides of the tree behind him, all of them having the appearance of colorful creatures. He watched them come out one by one, either leaning against the tree or sitting down gently on the ground in front of him.

He watched as all of these strange people, including a blue moose, two green raccoons, a purple lamb, a blue skunk, an orange and purple beaver, a pink chipmunk, a blue flying squirrel, a blue anteater, a yellow rabbit, a purple mole, a bear with a thick orange afro, a brown bear carrying his young boy, a purple deer, a light green crazed squirrel, and a light-blue otter with an appearance of a pirate, pushing a frozen marmot with his back, all come together next of in front of him, and looked out to the sun in front of them.

Ezekiel, looked at all the people around him, the type of people he called 'friend,' and looked out to the sun in front of him.

Even knowing if any of these people were real or not, he had one feeling he was glad to have.

He did not feel alone. Even with their absence, he did not feel alone.

He felt like he was home again.

He smiled widely as he looked out to the lake in front of him, holding the woman next to him tight against his side. As he heard a loud bang go off in the distance behind him, and kept his ground and held his smile on his face.

Ezekiel leaned back and closed his eyes, letting out one last breath while speaking silently to himself.

"It's good to be home…"

A large wall of light pierced through the land, going straight through the bodies of Ezekiel and all of his friends. As Ezekiel sat against the tree, all of his friends disappeared into the open air, flying off in small pieces of dust.

And, as the red porcupine that rested underneath his right arm disappeared, Ezekiel's arm feel to the ground he sat on, limp and cold.

His one last breath came out slowly…

And he was silent.

As his body laid against the lone tree in the park, the world around him slowly began to be consumed by darkness, surrounding and drawing near him.

The world, and everything in existence, hid in the abyss of nothingness.

And then there was silence.

* * *

The old man, after working countless hours in the gleaming sun above, jammed the shovel into the ground, leaning against it as he rested deep in the ground. He wiped the sweat of his forehead and took three deep breaths as he looked around the ground around him.

Nodding his head, he got on his right knee and search through the green sack he brought with him. Taking time to rummage through his things, he pulled out a small paved stone, well decorated and embedded with multiple words. He brushed off some of the dust it picked up inside the green sack, and brought it over to the pile of collected dirt made into a large mound.

The old man slowly placed the stone on the pile of dirt, pushing it in and making sure it was tucked nicely in the dirt while still giving clear view of the writing on top. He kept his smile as he got up to his feet again, taking the shovel out of the ground and picking up the green sack, throwing it over his left shoulder to rest there.

He let out a heavy sigh and turned away from the mound of dirt, and walked off to follow the path down the hill. The old man walked forward, never taking a look back, and closed his eyes briefly.

"Next time… I'll do this alone."

While he left the top of the hill in silence, the stone rested forever quietly on the very top of the hill, never to be moved or to be mourned over.

As for the man that laid underneath it, he slept peacefully and alone in the darkness below.

And everyone, finally, returned home.

_The End_

* * *

_**Author's Note: **_**_Man... just... wow. Look what has happened. After nine months, nine LONG SLOW months, 'The Stranger' has went from it's small start to its big finish in the same year. From the small start it had with its prologue and first chapter in March, to the big finale here in December, over 220,000 words later, it has become the longest HTF Fiction written to date, and was actually able to reach the glorious status of 'Complete.'_**

**_And you know something here? None of this was possible if I did this alone. With God as my witness, there would have been no possible way of me being able to do this, to complete this story, hell, to even WRITE the story, without the best people I have ever met._**

**_You._**

**_You, the readers, the reviewers, the followers, and even the people I have chat to that may have not even read the story yet, it was all of you, with your kind words, support and just a warm welcome here, that inspired me to stay and see this story through. There were many points in my time writing that I felt like throwing in the towel and give up, to just let this go and forget everything._**

**_But it was you fellow readers and writers that gave me the heart and strength to keep going, to try and find new ways to push forward, to find new ideas of stories to write or ways to carry out a scene, to have the internal strength to make sure, no matter what, I see a project to the end. You gave me the courage to fight through whatever challenge I had and to keep fighting, to write this story out for you all._**

**_Everyone, this has been possibly been the best time I have ever had in my life; not just writing this epic for you, but being part of this community. I met great authors, new and old, all amazing and kind that accepted me here not just as a writer, but as a friend, just as I see them. I met great people that wrote works that started out small and turned out into the best pieces of writing I've come to love. I got to meet people that made me feel welcome, to actually feel great to be alive, to feel like I was doing something good for once._**

**_And honestly, I could not be any more happier than I am right now. This was a hell of a ride, going up and down for me these past nine months in my first year here at FanFiction, but it was worth every moment here. You all make this worth it, and all of this was possible thanks to the positive support you have given me._**

**_With that said, I would like to give my special thanks to the following people, who have shown great support as reviewers, followers, aid to my story, authors that gave support and kind words, partners from other works, and/or were just a great person and friend overall (I tried to remember all by heart; SOOO sorry if I forgot):_**

**_BlueberryCookieCrisis_**

**_Better a Freak Than a Fake_**

**_FlippyIsKing18_**

**_BiBiTheAlmighty_**

**_Loli-Lolita_**

**_Dtksgirl_**

**_AsHely Hewlett_**

**_Cartoanime02_**

**_Shakespeare-The-Imposter_**

**_Scarecrow77_**

**_ashdash2417_**

**_AlexFalk_**

**_Baylee1100_**

**_Carmelita01_**

**_DeeSquishy_**

**_HeadlessHorselessHorsemann_**

**_Keyblade132_**

**_Lunamann_**

**_Ms annemay_**

**_Person P_**

**_Refleckshun_**

**_StariChanx_**

**_ThePigThatWentMooo_**

**_generalLDS_**

**_SarEma29_**

**_Hatrfa327  
_**

**_ToonAngelStar17_**

**_And all of my glorious readers, from the past, now, and the future!_**

**_I seriously could not have done this without you all! So what happens to me now? What else do I have next to do? Well... that's something that will reveal itself in the future, I suppose. I got plenty of stories planned and lined up to be release during 2016 (and worked on, obviously), as well as some great friends that I will be working with throughout the year. And if I'm not writing, I will always be here, to give every writer, new or old, my thoughtful reviews and support, to read and promote others to push forward, and to lend a hand in anyway I can. It's the least I can do for all of the support you gave me._**

**_And that is the end, everyone. Thank you all for the support! Merry Christmas to you all, bless every single one of you, and have a great New Year's!_**

_Brandon 'HTFan' P._


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